Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, 28 Park Avenue, Grafton, Auckland, 1023, New Zealand.
National Institute for Health Innovation, School of Population Health, The University of Auckland, 28 Park Avenue, Grafton, Auckland, 1023, New Zealand.
BMC Med. 2024 Sep 11;22(1):372. doi: 10.1186/s12916-024-03567-w.
Dietary risk factors are the leading cause of death globally and in New Zealand (NZ). Processed packaged foods are prevalent in the food supply and contribute excess amounts of sodium, saturated fat, and sugar in diets. Improving the nutritional quality of these foods has the potential to reduce population chronic disease risk. We aimed to evaluate the healthiness using the Australasian Health Star Rating (HSR, from 0.5 to 5 stars, with 5 being the healthiest) and nutrient composition (sodium, saturated fat, and total sugar) of packaged products manufactured by the largest NZ-based food and beverage companies in NZ 2015-2019. This analysis relates to a larger study evaluating structured engagement with food companies to improve nutrition-related policies and actions.
Data was sourced from Nutritrack, a NZ-branded supermarket-sourced food composition database. The largest NZ-based companies from annual retail sales revenue (n = 35) were identified using 2019 Euromonitor data. All relevant products of the selected companies were extracted for analysis. Products included totalled 17,795 with a yearly range of 3462-3672 products. The primary outcome was a nutrient profile score estimated using HSR. Healthiness was defined as ≥ 3.5 stars. Secondary outcomes were sodium, total sugar, and saturated fat per 100 g/100 mL. All outcomes were assessed overall, by food company, and food category. Change over time was tested using linear mixed models, adjusting for major food categories and cluster effects of food companies controlling for multiple comparisons. Model-adjusted mean differences between years were estimated with 95% confidence intervals.
There was a small statistically significant increase in mean HSR between 2015 and 2019 (0.08 [0.15,0.01], p = 0.024). Mean total sugar content decreased over the same period (0.78 g/100 g [0.08,1.47], p = 0.020), but there were no significant changes in mean sodium or saturated fat contents. Seven of the 13 categories showed small increases in mean HSR (0.1-0.2). Most categories (9/13) exhibited a reduction in mean total sugar content.
Between 2015 and 2019, there were slight improvements in the nutritional quality of selected packaged foods and drinks in NZ. Much more substantive changes are needed to address the health-related burden of unhealthy diets, supported by stronger government action and less reliance on voluntary industry initiatives.
饮食风险因素是全球和新西兰（NZ）的主要死亡原因。加工包装食品在食品供应中很普遍，其饮食中的钠、饱和脂肪和糖含量过高。改善这些食品的营养质量有可能降低人群的慢性病风险。我们旨在使用澳大拉西亚健康星级评级（HSR，范围为 0.5 到 5 星，5 星为最健康）和营养成分（钠、饱和脂肪和总糖）评估 2015 年至 2019 年新西兰最大的基于食品和饮料公司制造的包装产品的健康程度。这项分析与一项更大的研究有关，该研究评估了与食品公司的结构化合作，以改善与营养相关的政策和行动。
数据来自新西兰品牌超市食品成分数据库 Nutritrack。使用 2019 年 Euromonitor 数据确定了来自年度零售销售收入的新西兰最大公司（n=35）。为分析提取了选定公司的所有相关产品。产品总计 17795 种，每年范围为 3462-3672 种。主要结果是使用 HSR 估计的营养素谱评分。健康定义为≥3.5 星。次要结果是每 100 克/100 毫升的钠、总糖和饱和脂肪。总体评估、按食品公司和食品类别评估健康状况。使用线性混合模型测试随时间的变化，调整主要食品类别和食品公司的聚类效应，同时控制多次比较。使用 95%置信区间估计年度之间的模型调整均值差异。
2015 年至 2019 年期间，HSR 平均值略有统计学意义上的增加（0.08 [0.15，0.01]，p=0.024）。同一时期总糖含量也有所下降（0.78 克/100 克[0.08，1.47]，p=0.020），但钠和饱和脂肪含量没有显著变化。13 个类别中有 7 个的 HSR 平均值略有增加（0.1-0.2）。大多数类别（13 个中的 9 个）总糖含量有所降低。
2015 年至 2019 年间，新西兰选定的包装食品和饮料的营养质量略有改善。为了应对不健康饮食带来的与健康相关的负担，还需要进行更实质性的改变，这需要政府采取更强有力的行动，减少对自愿行业倡议的依赖。
