Petitclerc Isabelle, Pomerleau Sonia, Saulais Laure, Mercille Geneviève, Labonté Marie-Ève, Provencher Véronique
Centre de Recherche Nutrition, Santé et Société (NUTRISS), Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF), Université Laval, 2440, Boulevard Hochelaga, Quebec City, QCG1V 0A6, Canada.
School of Nutrition, Université Laval, 2440, Boulevard Hochelaga, Quebec City, QCG1V 0A6, Canada.
Public Health Nutr. 2025 Aug 13;28(1):e135. doi: 10.1017/S1368980025100797.
To evaluate the association between nutritional quality and food prices within the same food category by: (1) identifying price differences among products above or below the nutrient thresholds of the Canadian front-of-package nutrition symbol and (2) investigating price differences among products with differing numbers of nutrients exceeding these thresholds.
This study is part of the Food Quality Observatory's work, Québec (Canada).
For each product, nutrients exceeding the thresholds for Na, sugars and saturated fat were calculated according to Health Canada's guidelines. Prices per 100 g and per 100 kcal (418 kJ) were calculated. Statistical analyses were performed using RStudio to evaluate the association between these price metrics and nutritional quality, based on these thresholds.
Five food categories were analysed: sliced breads ( 340), breakfast cereals ( 392), salty snacks ( 569), cookies ( 694) and processed cheeses ( 118).
Results indicate that nutrient type mediates the association between price and nutritional quality. Products exceeding the saturated fat threshold were generally more expensive, whereas those with elevated sugars and Na contents were cheaper. Products with two nutrients exceeding thresholds tended to cost less than those with one or no nutrient above thresholds. Notably, these results varied within each food category. These patterns varied across food categories.
Foods high in nutrients of concern are typically cheaper within their category, except those high in saturated fat. Findings highlight the importance of monitoring food prices, especially as Canada's nutrition symbol policy becomes mandatory, to prevent worsening health inequalities.
通过以下方式评估同一食品类别中营养质量与食品价格之间的关联：（1）确定加拿大包装正面营养符号营养阈值之上或之下的产品之间的价格差异；（2）调查超过这些阈值的营养素数量不同的产品之间的价格差异。
本研究是加拿大魁北克食品质量观察站工作的一部分。
对于每种产品，根据加拿大卫生部的指南计算超过钠、糖和饱和脂肪阈值的营养素含量。计算每100克和每100千卡（418千焦）的价格。使用RStudio进行统计分析，以根据这些阈值评估这些价格指标与营养质量之间的关联。
分析了五类食品：切片面包（340种）、早餐谷物（392种）、咸味小吃（569种）、饼干（694种）和加工奶酪（118种）。
结果表明，营养素类型介导了价格与营养质量之间的关联。超过饱和脂肪阈值的产品通常更贵，而糖和钠含量较高的产品则更便宜。有两种营养素超过阈值的产品往往比有一种或没有营养素超过阈值的产品成本更低。值得注意的是，这些结果在每个食品类别中都有所不同。这些模式在不同食品类别之间也有所不同。
除了饱和脂肪含量高的食品外，同类中关注营养素含量高的食品通常更便宜。研究结果凸显了监测食品价格的重要性，尤其是在加拿大的营养符号政策成为强制性政策之际，以防止健康不平等状况恶化。
