Doctor of Philosophy Program in Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital and Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand.
Food and Nutrition Academic and Research Cluster, Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University, Salaya, Phutthamonthon, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand.
Nutrients. 2023 Jul 12;15(14):3116. doi: 10.3390/nu15143116.
In 2016, Thailand introduced voluntary front-of-pack nutrition labeling, the 'Thailand Healthier Choice' logo (THCL), in order to help consumers make informed, healthier food choices in each food category. This study aimed to assess the uptake of the THCL scheme in Thailand after five years of implementation by analyzing a newly launched product database. Data on the nutritional composition and labeling were obtained from the Mintel Global New Products Database between 2017 and 2021. The product's healthfulness was determined using the Health Star Rating (HSR) algorithm. The numbers and proportions of total, eligible, and labeled products bearing the THCL logo were analyzed and classified by food category, by HSR value, and by manufacturer. After 5 years of implementation, THCL uptake as a proportion of total products and eligible products continues to increase by 3.0% and 10.2% per annum, respectively. The logo has correspondingly appeared on 10.7% and 39.5% of total and eligible products. As a voluntary implementation, 76.1% of products displaying the THCL logo belonged to the 'non-core' group, i.e., non-alcoholic beverages and instant foods. This food category (HSR < 3.0) was more likely to register to bear THCL rather than those 'core' food scoring an HSR ≥ 3.5, which might reflect economic considerations and benefits. The present analysis also found that only 10% of manufacturers in Thailand launched 'healthier' products that display the THCL logo with varied product numbers. To summarize, the initial five-year implementation of the THCL program shows promise, but its adoption remains limited and inconsistent, thereby restricting its influence on public health. Our discoveries highlight the limitations of commercial goodwill in applying THCL voluntarily in Thailand and offer potential suggestions to enhance its adoption in the coming years.
2016 年，泰国推出了自愿性的预包装食品营养标签“泰国更健康之选”（THCL），以帮助消费者在各个食品类别中做出明智、更健康的选择。本研究旨在通过分析新推出的产品数据库，评估该计划在实施五年后泰国的采用情况。数据来自 Mintel 全球新产品数据库，时间为 2017 年至 2021 年。使用健康星级评级（HSR）算法确定产品的健康度。分析并按食品类别、HSR 值和制造商对带有 THCL 标志的总产品、合格产品和贴标产品的数量和比例进行分类。实施五年后，THCL 的总产品和合格产品的采用率每年分别以 3.0%和 10.2%的速度持续增长。该标志分别出现在总产品和合格产品的 10.7%和 39.5%上。作为一项自愿实施计划，显示 THCL 标志的产品中有 76.1%属于“非核心”类别，即非酒精饮料和即食食品。该食品类别（HSR<3.0）更有可能注册带有 THCL 标志，而不是那些 HSR≥3.5 的“核心”食品，这可能反映了经济考虑和利益。本分析还发现，泰国只有 10%的制造商推出了带有 THCL 标志的“更健康”产品，且产品数量各不相同。总之，THCL 计划最初五年的实施情况显示出了一定的前景，但采用情况仍然有限且不一致，从而限制了其对公共卫生的影响。我们的发现突显了在泰国自愿应用 THCL 时商业信誉的局限性，并为未来几年提高其采用率提供了潜在建议。
