Institute of Bioengineering, Miguel Hernández University, 03202 Elche, Alicante, Spain.
Nutrients. 2020 Sep 25;12(10):2943. doi: 10.3390/nu12102943.
Nutrition claims (NCs) have been shown to affect customers' perceptions and behaviour. In Europe, they are regulated by Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. The aim of this work was to analyse the prevalence and compliance of NCs according to this regulation in Spain. For this purpose, we used the BADALI database, which included 3197 foods present in the Spanish market. Our results show that 36.1% of all foods carried NCs, at a rate of 3.3 NCs/food. The prevalence was very heterogeneous among food groups. Nuts and seeds, legumes and non-alcoholic beverages were the groups with the highest prevalence. Micronutrients, fat, fibre and sugars were the nutrients most referred to in NCs. Overall, the compliance was low, with 49.2% NCs correct. Fibre and proteins were the nutrients with most correct NCs. Vegetables and non-alcoholic beverages were the food groups with the highest proportion of correct NCs. The main reason for incorrect NCs was because the amount of the nutrient was not stated in the label. The results of our study reveal that the aim of the European Commission to ensure a high level of protection for consumers regarding NCs has not been fulfilled. Therefore, we consider it crucial that European institutions invest in guaranteeing regulation compliance.
营养声称（NCs）已被证明会影响消费者的认知和行为。在欧洲，它们受法规（EC）No 1924/2006 监管。本工作旨在根据该法规分析西班牙 NCs 的流行率和合规性。为此，我们使用了包含 3197 种存在于西班牙市场的食品的 BADALI 数据库。我们的结果表明，所有食品中有 36.1% 带有 NCs，即每 3.3 种食品就有 1 种 NCs。在食品组之间，这种流行率存在很大差异。坚果和种子、豆类和非酒精饮料是流行率最高的组。微量营养素、脂肪、纤维和糖是 NCs 中最常提到的营养素。总的来说，合规率很低，只有 49.2% 的 NCs 是正确的。纤维和蛋白质是 NCs 中最正确的营养素。蔬菜和非酒精饮料是 NCs 正确比例最高的食品组。不正确 NCs 的主要原因是标签上没有说明营养素的含量。我们研究的结果表明，欧盟委员会确保消费者对 NCs 的高保护水平的目标尚未实现。因此，我们认为欧洲机构投资于保证法规合规性至关重要。
