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Da Silva-Mojón L, Pérez-Lamela C, Falqué-López E. Smoothies Marketed in Spain: Are They Complying with Labeling Legislation? Nutrients 2023; 15:4426. [PMID: 37892501 PMCID: PMC10610167 DOI: 10.3390/nu15204426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
There is no legal definition of a smoothie, so the European legislation applicable to its labeling is that of fruit juice. The smoothie market has grown in recent years, as it can include a wide variety of ingredients: fruits, fruit purees, honey, milk and vegetable milks, vegetables, herbs, cereals, cereal flours, seaweed, and crushed ice. In this study, 57 smoothies were reviewed. All of them were purchased in supermarkets and classified into eight types according to the main ingredients. Fifteen legal statements/items were reviewed on the pack labels: eleven mandatory and three optional. Moreover, nutrition labels, nutritional claims, images, marks, and other symbols were also reviewed. Only 22.8% of the samples complied with EU and Spanish labeling legislation. More incorrectness was related to the name of the food and the fruits included as main ingredients; other errors related to the allergy/intolerance statements, and some nutritional claims concerning vitamin C were also detected to a lesser extent. General advice is provided for consumers to interpret smoothie labels correctly. Lawmakers should amend legislation to accept the term "smoothie" as a legal name.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Da Silva-Mojón
- Analytical Chemistry Area, Analytical Chemistry and Food Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Vigo, E-32004 Ourense, Spain; (L.D.S.-M.); (E.F.-L.)
| | - Concepción Pérez-Lamela
- Nutrition and Bromatology Area, Analytical Chemistry and Food Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Vigo, E-32004 Ourense, Spain
| | - Elena Falqué-López
- Analytical Chemistry Area, Analytical Chemistry and Food Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Vigo, E-32004 Ourense, Spain; (L.D.S.-M.); (E.F.-L.)
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McCrickerd K, Tay PPS, Tang CS, Forde CG. Using Sensory Cues to Optimise the Satiety Value of a Reduced-Calorie Product Labelled 'Healthier Choice'. Nutrients 2019; 12:nu12010107. [PMID: 31905979 PMCID: PMC7019941 DOI: 10.3390/nu12010107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Reformulation strategies to reduce the energy density of commonly consumed foods and beverages are intended to support weight management, but expectations generated by labelling these as 'healthier' alternatives can have unintended effects on the product's sensory evaluations and consumption behaviours. We compared the impact of four different strategies for presenting a lower-calorie beverage to consumers on product perceptions, short-term appetite and energy intake. Participants (N = 112) consumed higher- (211 kcal/portion) and lower-calorie (98 kcal/portion) fixed-portion soymilks in the morning across two test days, with the lower-calorie version presented in one of four contexts varying in label information and sensory quality: (1) sensory-matched/unlabelled, (2) sensory-matched/labelled, (3) sensory-reduced (less sweet and creamy)/labelled, and (4) sensory-enhanced (sweeter and creamier)/labelled. The label was Singapore's Healthier Choice Symbol, which also highlighted that the soymilk was lower calorie. Changes in reported appetite, ad libitum lunch intake, and self-reported intake for the rest of the text day were recorded. Results indicated that total energy intake was consistently lower on the days the lower calorie beverages were consumed, regardless of how they were presented. However, the 'healthier choice' label increased hunger prior to lunch and reduced the soymilks' perceived thickness and sweetness compared to the same unlabelled version. Increasing the product's sensory intensity successfully maintained liking, experienced sensory quality and appetite. Results suggest that food companies wanting to explicitly label product reformulations could combine messages of 'lower calorie' and 'healthier choice' with appropriate taste and texture enhancements to maintain acceptance and avoid negative effects on appetite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keri McCrickerd
- Clinical Nutrition Research Centre (CNRC), Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), A*STAR Research Entities and National University Health System, Singapore 117599, Singapore
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +65-64074376
| | - Priscilla Pei Sian Tay
- Clinical Nutrition Research Centre (CNRC), Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), A*STAR Research Entities and National University Health System, Singapore 117599, Singapore
| | - Claudia Shuning Tang
- Clinical Nutrition Research Centre (CNRC), Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), A*STAR Research Entities and National University Health System, Singapore 117599, Singapore
| | - Ciarán Gerard Forde
- Clinical Nutrition Research Centre (CNRC), Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), A*STAR Research Entities and National University Health System, Singapore 117599, Singapore
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117593, Singapore
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Appleton KM, Bray J, Price S, Liebchen G, Jiang N, Mavridis I, Saulais L, Giboreau A, Perez-Cueto FJA, Coolen R, Ronge M, Hartwell H. A Mobile Phone App for the Provision of Personalized Food-Based Information in an Eating-Out Situation: Development and Initial Evaluation. JMIR Form Res 2019; 3:e12966. [PMID: 31682575 PMCID: PMC6914280 DOI: 10.2196/12966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Revised: 06/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Increasing pressure from governments, public health bodies, and consumers is driving a need for increased food-based information provision in eating-out situations. Meals eaten outside the home are known to be less healthy than meals eaten at home, and consumers can complain of poor information on the health impact and allergen content of meals eaten out. Objective This paper aimed to describe the development and early assessment of a mobile phone app that allows the provision of accurate personalized food-based information while considering individual characteristics (allergies, diet type, and preferences) to enable informed consumer choice when eating out. Methods An app was designed and developed to address these requirements using an agile approach. The developed app was then evaluated at 8 public engagement events using the System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire and qualitative feedback. Results Consideration of the literature and consultation with consumers revealed a need for information provision for consumers in the eating-out situation, including the ability to limit the information provided to that which was personally relevant or interesting. The app was designed to provide information to consumers on the dishes available in a workplace canteen and to allow consumers the freedom to personalize the app and choose the information that they received. Evaluation using the SUS questionnaire revealed positive responses to the app from a range of potential users, and qualitative comments demonstrated broad interest in its use. Conclusions This paper details the successful development and early assessment of a novel mobile phone app designed to provide food-based information in an eating-out situation in a personalized manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Marie Appleton
- Research Centre for Behaviour Change, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Poole, United Kingdom
| | - Jeff Bray
- Faculty of Management, Bournemouth University, Poole, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Price
- Faculty of Management, Bournemouth University, Poole, United Kingdom
| | - Gernot Liebchen
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Poole, United Kingdom
| | - Nan Jiang
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Poole, United Kingdom
| | | | - Laure Saulais
- Food and Hospitality Research Center, Institut Paul Bocuse, Ecully, France
| | - Agnès Giboreau
- Food and Hospitality Research Center, Institut Paul Bocuse, Ecully, France
| | | | | | | | - Heather Hartwell
- Faculty of Management, Bournemouth University, Poole, United Kingdom
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Van der Horst K, Bucher T, Duncanson K, Murawski B, Labbe D. Consumer Understanding, Perception and Interpretation of Serving Size Information on Food Labels: A Scoping Review. Nutrients 2019; 11:nu11092189. [PMID: 31514395 PMCID: PMC6770558 DOI: 10.3390/nu11092189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Revised: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The increase in packaged food and beverage portion sizes has been identified as a potential factor implicated in the rise of the prevalence of obesity. In this context, the objective of this systematic scoping review was to investigate how healthy adults perceive and interpret serving size information on food packages and how this influences product perception and consumption. Such knowledge is needed to improve food labelling understanding and guide consumers toward healthier portion size choices. A search of seven databases (2010 to April 2019) provided the records for title and abstract screening, with relevant articles assessed for eligibility in the full-text. Fourteen articles met the inclusion criteria, with relevant data extracted by one reviewer and checked for consistency by a second reviewer. Twelve studies were conducted in North America, where the government regulates serving size information. Several studies reported a poor understanding of serving size labelling. Indeed, consumers interpreted the labelled serving size as a recommended serving for dietary guidelines for healthy eating rather than a typical consumption unit, which is set by the manufacturer or regulated in some countries such as in the U.S. and Canada. Not all studies assessed consumption; however, larger labelled serving sizes resulted in larger self-selected portion sizes in three studies. However, another study performed on confectionary reported the opposite effect, with larger labelled serving sizes leading to reduced consumption. The limited number of included studies showed that labelled serving size affects portion size selection and consumption, and that any labelled serving size format changes may result in increased portion size selection, energy intake and thus contribute to the rise of the prevalence of overweight and obesity. Research to test cross-continentally labelled serving size format changes within experimental and natural settings (e.g., at home) are needed. In addition, tailored, comprehensive and serving-size-specific food literacy initiatives need to be evaluated to provide recommendations for effective serving size labelling. This is required to ensure the correct understanding of nutritional content, as well as informing food choices and consumption, for both core foods and discretionary foods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klazine Van der Horst
- Department of Health Professions, Bern University of Applied Sciences, 3005 Bern, Switzerland.
- Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Nestlé Research, Institute of Material Science, 1000 Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Tamara Bucher
- School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
- Priority Research Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
| | - Kerith Duncanson
- School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
- Priority Research Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
| | - Beatrice Murawski
- Priority Research Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
- School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
| | - David Labbe
- Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Nestlé Research, Institute of Material Science, 1000 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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