Edalati Sareh, Omidvar Nasrin, Haghighian Roudsari Arezoo, Ghodsi Delaram, Zargaraan Azizollaah
Student Research Committee, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Community Nutrition, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Int J Health Plann Manage. 2020 Jan;35(1):e28-e44. doi: 10.1002/hpm.2924. Epub 2019 Nov 10.
Nutrition labelling is a strategy to promote healthy eating and combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The present study aimed to provide an analysis of the nutrition labelling policy and its opportunities to improve in Iran.
Data were collected by 1) reviewing relevant documents and 2) semi-structured interviews with stakeholders through purposive and snowball sampling, continued until data saturation was achieved. A deductive content analysis was used by applying the policy triangulation framework and the Kingdon multiple stream theory. MAXQDA software was used to manage data analysis.
Iran, is the first country in the Eastern Mediterranean region which has accomplished to implement nutrition traffic light labelling. The main contextual factors that affected nutrition labelling policy to become a national included health, political commitment, and international factors. Poor involvement of media for public awareness of nutrition traffic labeling, the inconsistency of nutrition traffic light color ranking using food standard guidelines, lack of consistency between nutrition traffic light colors and the healthy/unhealthy nature of some food products and the absence of a comprehensive evaluation plan were among the policy challenges identified.
Strengthening the governance for a healthy food environment is recommended to improve the program. Also, establishing national portion sizes for food labelling, initiating public awareness campaigns, evaluation of the policy effect and public perception of the labels and their application are recommended.
营养标签是促进健康饮食和应对非传染性疾病的一项策略。本研究旨在分析伊朗的营养标签政策及其改进机会。
通过以下方式收集数据：1）查阅相关文件；2）通过目的抽样和滚雪球抽样对利益相关者进行半结构化访谈，持续进行直至达到数据饱和。运用政策三角框架和金登多源流理论进行演绎性内容分析。使用MAXQDA软件管理数据分析。
伊朗是东地中海地区首个成功实施营养红绿灯标签的国家。影响营养标签政策成为国家政策的主要背景因素包括健康、政治承诺和国际因素。已确定的政策挑战包括媒体对营养红绿灯标签公众认知的参与度低、营养红绿灯颜色排名与食品标准指南不一致、营养红绿灯颜色与某些食品的健康/不健康性质缺乏一致性以及缺乏全面的评估计划。
建议加强对健康食品环境的治理以改进该项目。此外，建议为食品标签制定国家份量标准、开展公众宣传活动、评估政策效果以及公众对标签的认知及其应用情况。
