Powdered chicken stock may be an important source of dietary sodium intake in Maputo, Mozambique

Nutritional Content of Street Food and Takeaway Food Purchased in Urban Bosnia and Herzegovina

Street food (SF) and takeaway food (TAF) are important sources of out-of-home meals in urban Bosnia and Herzegovina, where diet-related non-communicable diseases are growing rapidly. This study aimed to characterise SF and TAF purchased in urban areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina, regarding customers' characteristics and the nutritional composition of the foods and beverages. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Sarajevo and Banja Luka in 2017. SF (n = 194) and TAF vending sites (n = 154) were selected through random and systematic sampling. Data on the food items purchased and customers' characteristics were collected by direct observation. Nutritional composition was estimated using data from chemical analyses of the foods most commonly available. Two-thirds of the customers observed (n = 755) were aged ≥35 years, half were women and 27.7% were overweight/obese. A total of 929 food items were purchased. The most commonly bought SFs were confectionery (30.5%), water (27.9%) and soft drinks/juices (22.2%). TAF customers purchased mostly savoury pastries (39.8%), breads (27.1%) and main dishes (21.4%). Almost half of customers purchased industrial food (i.e., pre-packaged foods and beverages produced by the food industry). The purchases presented median contents of 18.7 g of fat (39.6% saturated, 32.3% monounsaturated, 22.1% polyunsaturated, 1.5% trans), 838 mg of sodium and 285 mg of potassium. Saturated-fat contribution was higher in SF purchases (60.4% vs. 30.2%, p < 0.001), whereas TAF purchases presented higher trans-fat proportion (1.8% vs. 0.6%, p < 0.001), sodium (1241 vs. 89 mg, p < 0.001) and sodium-potassium ratio (6.1 vs. 0.6, p < 0.001). Generally, SF and TAF bought in Sarajevo and Banja Luka were rich in saturated and trans fatty-acids and sodium, and poor in potassium. Nutrition policies promoting use of healthier fats and salt reduction in SF and TAF may contribute to the prevention of diet-related diseases in these settings.

Street Food in Maputo, Mozambique: The Coexistence of Minimally Processed and Ultra-Processed Foods in a Country under Nutrition Transition

The aim was to characterise the extent of processing and nutritional composition of the street foods offered in Maputo, Mozambique. A cross-sectional study was conducted in October-November 2014 in the urban district of KaMpfumu. Twenty public transport stops were randomly selected, around which 500 meters buffers were drawn. All streets within these buffers were canvassed to identify all street food vending sites. Street food offer was assessed through interviews. Nutritional composition was estimated using standardised recipes (for homemade foods), food labels (for industrial products) and food composition tables (for in natura foods). The processing extent was classified using the "NOVA" food classification. A total of 810 vending sites were assessed. Unprocessed/minimally processed foods were available at 70.5% of vending sites (mainly fruit, water, and tea) and ultra-processed foods at 59.0% (mostly cakes, cookies, confectionery, and soft drinks). Energy content per 100 g of unprocessed or minimally processed foods was significantly lower than in all other food groups. In all food groups, contribution to total energy value was highest for carbohydrates (range: 33.1-51.2%), followed by fats (range: 29.3-36.0%) and protein (range: 6.8-18.6%). Public health policies targeting the improvement of this urban food environment should consider not only the nutritional composition but also the processing extent of the foods and beverages available.

A Cross-Sectional Study of the Street Foods Purchased by Customers in Urban Areas of Central Asia

This study aimed to describe street food purchases in cities from Central Asia, considering customers' characteristics and the nutritional composition of the foods and beverages. Cross-sectional studies were conducted in 2016/2017 in Dushanbe (Tajikistan), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), Ashgabat (Turkmenistan) and Almaty (Kazakhstan). Direct observation was used to collect data on the purchases made by street food customers, selected by random and systematic sampling. Nutritional composition was estimated using data from chemical analyses, food composition tables or food labels. A total of 714 customers (56.6% females, 55.5% aged ≥35 years, 23.3% overweight/obese) were observed, who bought 852 foods and beverages, the most frequent being savoury pastries/snacks (23.2%), main dishes (19.0%), sweet pastries/confectionery (17.9%), tea/coffee (11.3%) and soft drinks/juices (9.8%). Fruit was the least purchased food (1.1%). Nearly one-third of customers purchased industrial food items (31.9%). The median energy content of a street food purchase was 529 kcal/serving. Saturated and trans-fat median contents were 4.7 g/serving and 0.36 g/serving (21.4% and 16.5% of maximum daily intake recommendations, respectively). Median sodium and potassium contents were 745 mg/serving (37.3% of maximum recommendation) and 304 mg/serving (8.7% of minimum recommendation), respectively. In general, the purchases observed presented high contents of energy, saturated-fat, trans-fat and sodium, and low levels of potassium. Policies towards the improvement of these urban food environments should be encouraged.

Knowledge and behaviors regarding salt intake in Mozambique

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Health education and regulatory measures may contribute to lower population salt intake. Therefore, we aimed to describe knowledge and behaviors related to salt intake in Mozambique.

SUBJECTS/METHODS

A cross-sectional evaluation of a representative sample of the population aged 15-64 years (n = 3116) was conducted in 2014/2015, following the Stepwise Approach to Chronic Disease Risk Factor Surveillance, including a 12-question module for evaluation of dietary salt.

RESULTS

Three dimensions were identified in the questionnaire, named "self-reported salt intake", "knowledge of health effects of salt intake", and "behaviors for control of salt intake". A total of 7.4% of the participants perceived that they consumed too much/far too much salt and 25.9% reported adding salt/salty seasoning often/always to prepared foods. The proportion considering that it was not important to decrease the salt contents of their diet was 8%, and 16.9% were not aware that high salt intake could be deleterious for health. Prevalences of lack of behaviors for reducing salt intake ranged from 74.9% for not limiting consumption of processed foods, to 95% for not buying low salt alternatives. There were few differences according to socio-demographic variables, but awareness of hypertension was, in general, associated with better knowledge and less frequent behaviors likely to contribute to a high salt intake.

CONCLUSIONS

Most Mozambicans were aware that high salt intake can cause health problems, but the self-reported salt intake and behaviors for its control show an ample margin for improvement. This study provides evidence to guide population level salt-reducing policies.