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Savin M, Vrkatić A, Dedić D, Vlaški T, Vorgučin I, Bjelanović J, Jevtic M. Additives in Children's Nutrition-A Review of Current Events. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:13452. [PMID: 36294032 PMCID: PMC9603407 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192013452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Additives are defined as substances added to food with the aim of preserving and improving safety, freshness, taste, texture, or appearance. While indirect additives can be found in traces in food and come from materials used for packaging, storage, and technological processing of food, direct additives are added to food with a special purpose (canning). The use of additives is justified if it is in accordance with legal regulations and does not pose a health or danger to consumers in the prescribed concentration. However, due to the specificity of the child's metabolic system, there is a greater risk that the negative effects of the additive will manifest. Considering the importance of the potential negative impact of additives on children's health and the increased interest in the control and monitoring of additives in food for children, we have reviewed the latest available literature available through PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Expert data were taken from publicly available documents published from January 2010 to April 2022 by internationally recognized professional organizations. It was found that the most frequently present additives in the food consumed by children are bisphenols, phthalates, perfluoroalkyl chemicals, perchlorates, pesticides, nitrates and nitrites, artificial food colors, monosodium glutamate, and aspartame. Increasing literacy about the presence and potential risk through continuous education of parents and young people as well as active monitoring of newly registered additives and harmonization of existing legal regulations by competent authorities can significantly prevent the unwanted effects of additives on children's health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marijana Savin
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
- Institute for Child and Youth Health Care of Vojvodina, Hajduk Veljkova 10, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Aleksandra Vrkatić
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Danijela Dedić
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
- Emergency Service, Community Health Center Šid, Alekse Šantića 1, 22239 Šid, Serbia
| | - Tomislav Vlaški
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Ivana Vorgučin
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
- Institute for Child and Youth Health Care of Vojvodina, Hajduk Veljkova 10, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Jelena Bjelanović
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
- Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina, Futoška 121, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Marija Jevtic
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
- Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina, Futoška 121, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
- Research Center on Environmental Health and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
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Scapin T, Fernandes AC, Coyle DH, Pettigrew S, dos Santos Figueiredo L, Geraldo APG, da Costa Proença RP. Packaged foods containing non-nutritive sweeteners also have high added sugar content: a Brazilian survey. J Food Compost Anal 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jfca.2022.104626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Hafner E, Lavriša Ž, Hribar M, Krušič S, Kušar A, Žmitek K, Skrt M, Poklar Ulrih N, Pravst I. Verifying the Use of Food Labeling Data for Compiling Branded Food Databases: A Case Study of Sugars in Beverages. Front Nutr 2022; 9:794468. [PMID: 35187031 PMCID: PMC8850951 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.794468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Branded food composition databases are an important tool for research, education, healthcare, and policy making, amongst others. Such databases are typically compiled using food labeling data without chemical analyses of specific products. This study aimed to verify whether the labeled sugar content in sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) corresponds to the actual sugar content in these products, thus enabling food monitoring studies to be conducted. A secondary objective was to determine the specific types of sugars in these SSBs. A case study was conducted using market share-driven sampling of these beverages from the Slovenian food supply. On the basis of nationwide yearly sales data, 51 best-selling products were sampled in 2020 and analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography. This sales-driven approach to sampling has been shown to be very useful for conducting food monitoring studies. With the careful selection of a small proportion of available products, we finished with a manageable sample size, reflecting the composition of a majority (69%) of the national market share volume. The analyzed total sugar content was compared with labeled data, within the context of the European Union's regulatory labeling tolerances. In all samples, the sugar content was within the tolerance levels. The most common (N = 41) deviation was within ±10% of the labeled sugar content. In the subcategories, the differences between the analyzed and labeled median sugar contents were not statistically significant. Sucrose was most commonly (N = 36; 71%) used for sweetening, suggesting that the proportion of fructose in most SSBs was around 50%. A higher fructose content was only observed in beverages with fructose–glucose syrup or a higher content of fruit juice. The study results show that the labeled sugar content information in SSBs is reliable and can be used to compile branded food databases and monitor the nutritional quality of foods in the food supply.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edvina Hafner
- Nutrition and Public Health Research Group, Nutrition Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Živa Lavriša
- Nutrition and Public Health Research Group, Nutrition Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maša Hribar
- Nutrition and Public Health Research Group, Nutrition Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Sanja Krušič
- Nutrition and Public Health Research Group, Nutrition Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Anita Kušar
- Nutrition and Public Health Research Group, Nutrition Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Katja Žmitek
- Nutrition and Public Health Research Group, Nutrition Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- VIST–Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Mihaela Skrt
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | - Igor Pravst
- Nutrition and Public Health Research Group, Nutrition Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- VIST–Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- *Correspondence: Igor Pravst
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Pravst I, Hribar M, Žmitek K, Blažica B, Koroušić Seljak B, Kušar A. Branded Foods Databases as a Tool to Support Nutrition Research and Monitoring of the Food Supply: Insights From the Slovenian Composition and Labeling Information System. Front Nutr 2022; 8:798576. [PMID: 35059426 PMCID: PMC8763694 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2021.798576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Branded foods databases are becoming very valuable not only in nutrition research but also for clinical practice, policymakers, businesses, and general population. In contrast to generic foods, branded foods are marked by rapid changes in the food supply because of reformulations, the introduction of new foods, and the removal of existing ones from the market. Also, different branded foods are available in different countries. This not only complicates the compilation of branded foods datasets but also causes such datasets to become out of date quickly. In this review, we present different approaches to the compilation of branded foods datasets, describe the history and progress of building and updating such datasets in Slovenia, and present data to support nutrition research and monitoring of the food supply. Manufacturers are key sources of information for the compilation of branded foods databases, most commonly through food labels. In Slovenia, the branded food dataset is compiled using standard food monitoring studies conducted at all major retailers. Cross-sectional studies are conducted every few years, in which the food labels of all available branded foods are photographed. Studies are conducted using the Composition and Labeling Information System (CLAS) infrastructure, composed of a smartphone application for data collection and online data extraction and management tool. We reviewed various uses of branded foods datasets. Datasets can be used to assess the nutritional composition of food in the food supply (i.e., salt, sugar content), the use of specific ingredients, for example, food additives, for nutrient profiling, and assessment of marketing techniques on food labels. Such datasets are also valuable for other studies, for example, assessing nutrient intakes in dietary surveys. Additional approaches are also being tested to keep datasets updated between food monitoring studies. A promising approach is the exploitation of crowdsourcing through the mobile application VešKajJeš, which was launched in Slovenia to support consumers in making healthier dietary choices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Pravst
- Nutrition Institute, Nutrition and Public Health Research Group, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- VIST–Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maša Hribar
- Nutrition Institute, Nutrition and Public Health Research Group, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Katja Žmitek
- Nutrition Institute, Nutrition and Public Health Research Group, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- VIST–Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Bojan Blažica
- Computer Systems Department, Jozef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | - Anita Kušar
- Nutrition Institute, Nutrition and Public Health Research Group, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- VIST–Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Hafner E, Pravst I. The Sharp Rise in the Use of Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners in Non-Alcoholic Beverages in Slovenia: An Update Based on 2020 Data. Front Nutr 2021; 8:778178. [PMID: 34869543 PMCID: PMC8640248 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2021.778178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Reducing added sugars in non-alcoholic beverages is an important public health goal, which can result in increased use of low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS). The aim of this study was to investigate recent changes in the use of LNCS in non-alcoholic beverages in the Slovenian food supply. The national branded foods dataset was updated with beverages available in 2020, and compared with previous datasets. The data were extracted from food labels. In 2020, N = 1,650 unique beverages were found in shops from five different retailers, covering the majority of the national market. The use of LNCS increased from 13.2% in 2017 and 15.5% in 2019 to 20.2% in 2020, with a major growth in soft drinks (16.8, 19.6, and 26.7%, respectively). We observed a significant growth of beverages containing both LNCS and added sugar. Results were also consistent with sales data, which showed that increased offer of beverages with LNCS also resulted in similarly increased sales of such beverages. The average energy and total sugar content in non-alcoholic beverages decreased, which reflects both the higher percentage of beverages with LNCS, and also the reduction of the sugar content in beverages with only added sugar. Analyses of product-specific reformulation practices highlighted reduced sugar content in 16.8% of products, and in 3.6% with the use of LNCS. The most commonly used LNCS are acesulfame K, sucralose, and aspartame. Typically, combinations are used, however steviol glycosides, sucralose and saccharin are also used alone, in most cases combined with added sugar. The results indicated rapid changes in the use of LNCS in non-alcoholic beverages in the Slovenian food supply, making further monitoring of this area highly relevant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edvina Hafner
- Nutrition Institute, Nutrition and Public Health Research Group, Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Igor Pravst
- Nutrition Institute, Nutrition and Public Health Research Group, Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.,VIST-Higher School of Applied Sciences, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Chan LY, Coyle DH, Wu JHY, Louie JCY. Total and Free Sugar Levels and Main Types of Sugars Used in 18,784 Local and Imported Pre-Packaged Foods and Beverages Sold in Hong Kong. Nutrients 2021; 13:3404. [PMID: 34684405 PMCID: PMC8540970 DOI: 10.3390/nu13103404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
There is limited information regarding the free sugar content of pre-packaged foods in Hong Kong. This study aims to assess the free sugar content and identify the most frequently used free sugar ingredients (FSI) in pre-packaged foods in Hong Kong. Data from 18,784 products from the 2019 FoodSwitch Hong Kong database were used in this analysis. Ingredient lists were screened to identify FSI. Total sugar content was derived from nutrition labels on packaging. Free sugar content was estimated based on adaptation of a previously established systematic methodology. Descriptive statistics of the total sugar and free sugar content, as well as the mean ± SD contribution of free sugar to total sugar of the audited products were calculated, stratified by food groups. Almost two-thirds (64.5%) of the pre-packaged foods contained at least one FSI. 'Sugar (sucrose)' was the most popular FSI that was found in more than half (54.7%) of the products. 'Fruit and vegetable juices' (median 10.0; IQR 8.3-11.5 g/100 mL) were found to have a higher median free sugar content than 'Soft drinks' (8.0; 6.0-10.6 g/100 mL). Mean ± SD contribution of free sugar to the total sugar content was 65.8 ± 43.4%, with 8 out of 14 food groups having >70% total sugar as free sugar. To conclude, free sugar, especially sucrose, was extensively used in a wide variety of pre-packaged products sold in Hong Kong. Further studies are needed to assess the population intake of free sugar in Hong Kong to inform public health policy on free sugar reduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lok Yin Chan
- Faculty of Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong 999077, China;
| | - Daisy H. Coyle
- Food Policy Division, The George Institute for Global Health, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia; (D.H.C.); (J.H.Y.W.)
| | - Jason H. Y. Wu
- Food Policy Division, The George Institute for Global Health, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia; (D.H.C.); (J.H.Y.W.)
| | - Jimmy Chun Yu Louie
- Faculty of Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong 999077, China;
- Food Policy Division, The George Institute for Global Health, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia; (D.H.C.); (J.H.Y.W.)
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Nunn R, Young L, Ni Mhurchu C. Prevalence and Types of Non-Nutritive Sweeteners in the New Zealand Food Supply, 2013 and 2019. Nutrients 2021; 13:3228. [PMID: 34579101 PMCID: PMC8471995 DOI: 10.3390/nu13093228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The widely recognized association between high sugar intakes and adverse health outcomes has increased consumer demand for products lower in sugar. This may lead to increased use of other sweeteners by the food industry. The current study investigated the prevalence and types of non-nutritive sweeteners over time (2013-2019) in New Zealand's packaged food and beverages, overall and between categories. A New Zealand database of packaged foods and beverages was used to investigate the presence of Food Standards Australia New Zealand Code-approved non-nutritive sweeteners (n = 12). Products available in 2013 (n = 12,153) and 2019 (n = 14,645) were compared. Between 2013 and 2019, the prevalence of non-nutritive sweeteners in products increased from 3% to 5%. The most common non-nutritive sweeteners in both years were acesulphame-potassium, sucralose, aspartame, and stevia, which were predominantly found in special foods (breakfast beverages and nutritional supplements), non-alcoholic beverages, dairy products, and confectionery. The prevalence of non-nutritive sweeteners is increasing over time in New Zealand's packaged foods and beverages and is likely a consequence of consumer demand for lower-sugar products. Ongoing monitoring of the prevalence and type of NNS is important to detect further increases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Nunn
- Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand;
| | - Leanne Young
- National Institute for Health Innovation, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand;
| | - Cliona Ni Mhurchu
- National Institute for Health Innovation, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand;
- The George Institute for Global Health, Level 5, 1 King Street, Sydney, NSW 2042, Australia
- Department of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
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