Steenbergen Elly, Beulens Joline W J, Temme Elisabeth H M
Centre for Prevention, Lifestyle and Health, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, 3721 MA Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
Department of Epidemiology & Data Science, Amsterdam University Medical Centre, Location Vrije Universiteit, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Nutrients. 2024 Dec 3;16(23):4184. doi: 10.3390/nu16234184.
To improve consumers' diet, policy measures such as food reformulation strategies and front-of-pack nutritional labels (FOPNLs) are implemented, aiming to guide consumers' food choice and to stimulate an improvement in food composition by manufacturers. The FOPNL Nutri-Score has been implemented in several European countries. Changes in food compositions in relation to the Nutri-Score over time have been limitedly studied. This study evaluates food compositions in Europe over time, and if changes in compositions of the food supply could have potentially resulted in changes in Nutri-Score classifications of foods.
Food composition data were available from EUREMO, from which bread products, breakfast cereals, hot sauces, and processed potato products from Austria, Belgium, Finland, Italy, and the United Kingdom from 2019 to 2021 were selected ( = 2260). Of these countries, only Belgium had implemented the Nutri-Score in 2019. Distributions of food compositions and Nutri-Score classifications were calculated and changes in median salt, sugar, and saturated fatty acids content were plotted by food group, country and year. Distribution of the final sum of Nutri-Score points was plotted by nutrient, food group, country and year.
Overall, more favourable Nutri-Score classifications (i.e., towards Nutri-Score classification A) were observed in most of the selected food groups and countries over the years, due to the influence of specific nutrients such as salt in breakfast cereals (lower median of 0.1-0.4 g/100 g) and processed potato products (lower median of 0.1-1.2 g/100 g); and sugar in processed potato products (lower median of 0.1-1.9 g/100 g) and bread products (lower median of 0.7-2.2 g/100 g). For nutrient contents in other food groups, no consistent changes were observed.
Changes in the compositions of the food supply resulted in favourable changes in Nutri-Score classifications, suggesting a potential for food reformulation. Monitoring after the actual implementation of Nutri-Score is recommended.
为改善消费者饮食，实施了食品配方改良策略和包装正面营养标签（FOPNLs）等政策措施，旨在引导消费者的食物选择，并促使制造商改善食品成分。FOPNL营养评分已在多个欧洲国家实施。关于营养评分随时间推移食品成分的变化研究较少。本研究评估了欧洲不同时期的食品成分，以及食品供应成分的变化是否可能导致食品营养评分分类的变化。
可从EUREMO获取食品成分数据，从中选取了2019年至2021年奥地利、比利时、芬兰、意大利和英国的面包产品、早餐谷物、辣酱和加工马铃薯产品（n = 2260）。在这些国家中，只有比利时在2019年实施了营养评分。计算了食品成分和营养评分分类的分布情况，并按食物类别、国家和年份绘制了盐、糖和饱和脂肪酸含量中位数的变化图。按营养素、食物类别、国家和年份绘制了营养评分总分的分布图。
总体而言，由于特定营养素的影响，多年来在大多数选定的食物类别和国家中观察到了更有利的营养评分分类（即趋向于营养评分分类A），如早餐谷物中的盐（中位数较低，为0.1 - 0.4 g/100 g）和加工马铃薯产品中的盐（中位数较低，为0.1 - 1.2 g/100 g）；加工马铃薯产品中的糖（中位数较低，为0.1 - 1.9 g/100 g）和面包产品中的糖（中位数较低，为0.7 - 2.2 g/100 g）。对于其他食物类别的营养素含量，未观察到一致的变化。
食品供应成分的变化导致了营养评分分类的有利变化，表明食品配方改良具有潜力。建议在实际实施营养评分后进行监测。
