Suchergebnisse

Background In an effort to combat childhood obesity the WHO has called on governments to restrict the marketing of unhealthy foods to children. Regulators have turned to nutrient profiling (NP) to provide the evidence for their decisions. This has resulted in the development of NP models, of which the validity of only a few have been established. The aim of this study was to assess the construct validity of various NP models for the purpose of restricting the marketing of unhealthy foods to children in South Africa by comparing the classification of foods by the models to the ranking of the same foods by registered dietitians. Methods Six current NP models were identified, then a representative food database of 120 foods was developed and each individual food was classified by each of the six models. Lastly dietitians were recruited to rank the healthfulness of the same 120 foods. Results Dietitians allowed 24% of the included foods for marketing to children, whereas the percentage of foods allowed by the included models ranged from 7 to 47%. Majority of pairwise comparisons between the NP models and dietitians yielded ҡ statistics >0.6, indicating substantial agreement. An almost perfect pairwise agreement was found between dietitians and the WHO Regional Office for Europe model. Conclusion The included NP models displayed good construct validity by agreeing with dietitians on what are 'less healthy' foods, thus the foods not allowed for marketing. The findings of this study contributes to the process of establishing validity of NP models

In South Africa there has been a paucity of data on food and nutrition labelling since the publication of the new food‐labelling legislation. This study aimed to explore whether the nutrition information on food products influences consumer purchasing behaviour; reasons for reading or ignoring nutrition information on labels, and to investigate expectations regarding food / nutrition labelling. Nine focus‐group discussions were held with adult consumers (N=67) in Cape Town, South Africa. Food price was sometimes the only consideration when selecting food products, irrespective of quality and nutritional value. When buying products for the first time, consumers were more inclined to read the nutrition information compared to habitual purchases or buying known brands. The list of ingredients, nutrient content claims and specific health endorsement logos were considered important. Reasons for reading nutrition information were mainly to assess the nutritional value or health properties, to avoid certain ingredients/allergens and to determine quality. Consumers struggled to understand the information on labels, specifically the nutrition information table. A lack of time or interest, price concerns and trust in labelling information also emerged as reasons why consumers ignore the nutrition information. There is a need for simpler food labelling, more graphics, and less complex terminology, information overload and quantitative information. It is recommended that a standardised front‐of‐package labelling scheme and a single health endorsement logo for South Africa be considered. More should be done to educate consumers on utilising the information on food labels correctly, in order for them to make healthier food choices

The WHO has called for governments to improve children's food environment by implementing restrictions on the marketing of 'unhealthy' foods to children. Nutrient profiling (NP) models are used to define 'unhealthy' foods and support child-directed food marketing regulations. The aim of the present study was to assess the suitability of the South African NP model (SANPM), developed and validated for health claim regulations, for child-directed food marketing regulations. The SANPM was compared with four NP models specifically developed for such regulations. A representative list of 197 foods was compiled by including all foods advertised on South African free-to-air television channels in 2014 and foods commonly consumed by South African children. The nutritional information of the foods was sourced from food packaging, company websites and a food composition table. Each individual food was classified by each of the five NP models. The percentage of foods that would be allowed according to the different NP models ranged from 6 to 45 %; the models also varied considerably with regard to the type of foods allowed for marketing to children. The majority of the pairwise comparisons between the NP models yielded κ statistics >0·4, indicating a moderate agreement between the models. An almost perfect pairwise agreement (κ=0·948) existed between the SANPM and the UK Food Standards Agency model (United Kingdom Office of Communication nutrient profiling model), a model extensively tested and validated for such regulations. The SANPM is considered appropriate for child-directed food marketing regulations in South Africa

The WHO has called for governments to improve children's food environment by implementing restrictions on the marketing of 'unhealthy' foods to children. Nutrient profiling (NP) models are used to define 'unhealthy' foods and support child-directed food marketing regulations. The aim of the present study was to assess the suitability of the South African NP model (SANPM), developed and validated for health claim regulations, for child-directed food marketing regulations. The SANPM was compared with four NP models specifically developed for such regulations. A representative list of 197 foods was compiled by including all foods advertised on South African free-to-air television channels in 2014 and foods commonly consumed by South African children. The nutritional information of the foods was sourced from food packaging, company websites and a food composition table. Each individual food was classified by each of the five NP models. The percentage of foods that would be allowed according to the different NP models ranged from 6 to 45 %; the models also varied considerably with regard to the type of foods allowed for marketing to children. The majority of the pairwise comparisons between the NP models yielded κ statistics >0·4, indicating a moderate agreement between the models. An almost perfect pairwise agreement (κ=0·948) existed between the SANPM and the UK Food Standards Agency model (United Kingdom Office of Communication nutrient profiling model), a model extensively tested and validated for such regulations. The SANPM is considered appropriate for child-directed food marketing regulations in South Africa

Background and objectives: The mortality and morbidity burden caused by hypertension are preventable and therefore, efforts need to be taken to address this burden. Excess dietary sodium intake is associated with increased blood pressure and the reduction thereof is considered as one of the best investments for public health. As a first step the South African (SA) government has implemented a mandatory regulation (R.214) pertaining to the reduction of sodium in foodstuffs as part of a wider sodium reduction strategy. Monitoring of different aspects of such a strategy is crucial to establish effectiveness and was the main aim. Objectives included (i) establishing baseline sodium and potassium excretion; (ii) investigating appropriate monitoring methods in terms of sodium intake and (iii) to evaluate sodium content in foodstuffs set out in R.214. Methods: We collected 24-hour urine samples and spot urine samples from three population groups i.e. White, Black and Indians in SA. Sodium and potassium were analysed. Three formulas were used to estimate sodium excretion i.e. Kawasaki, Tanaka and INTERSALT. To evaluate the sodium content of foodstuffs we randomly selected ten food products from each of the categories and measured the sodium through atomic absorption spectrometer. Results: In total, 692 and 681 24-hour and spot urine collections were collected. Median sodium and potassium excretion was 122.9 and 33.5mmol/day, and median salt intake was 7.2g/d. The majority (92.8%) of the population did not meet the recommended potassium intake per day and 65.6% consumed more than 6g/d of salt. The Kawasaki and Tanaka formula showed significantly higher (p≤0.001) estimated sodium values than the measured 24 hour excretion in the whole population (5677.79mg/d and 4235.05mg/d vs. 3279.19mg/d). The majority of the food products tested complied with the 2016 targets (72%) and 42% with the 2019 targets. Conclusions: These findings support the SA government's sodium reduction legislation. Estimated sodium excretion from the three formulas should be used with caution. The sodium content in foodstuffs provides valuable information with regard to monitoring and evaluation. SA is doing well in terms of the strategy but a lot still needs to be done

Limited number of studies on salt intake has been conducted in the South Africa. The present study established the sodium and potassium excretion (24-hour urine collection) of three different South African populations. In total, 692 successful 24-hour urine collections were analyzed for sodium, potassium, and iodine levels. The median sodium and potassium excretion was 122.9 and 33.5 mmol/d, respectively, and the median salt intake was 7.2 g/d. The majority (92.8%) of the population did not meet the recommended potassium intake/d, and 65.6% consumed more than 6 g of salt/d. Potassium excretion showed a linear relationship with salt intake (P-trend ≤ .001). The median sodium-to-potassium ratio was 3.5. These findings support the South African government's sodium reduction legislation, as well as global initiatives. More consideration should be given to promoting the intake of potassium-rich foods, as this may have a greater public health impact than focusing only on dietary sodium reduction

Limited number of studies on salt intake has been conducted in the South Africa. The present study established the sodium and potassium excretion (24-hour urine collection) of three different South African populations. In total, 692 successful 24-hour urine collections were analyzed for sodium, potassium, and iodine levels. The median sodium and potassium excretion was 122.9 and 33.5 mmol/d, respectively, and the median salt intake was 7.2 g/d. The majority (92.8%) of the population did not meet the recommended potassium intake/d, and 65.6% consumed more than 6 g of salt/d. Potassium excretion showed a linear relationship with salt intake (P-trend ≤ .001). The median sodium-to-potassium ratio was 3.5. These findings support the South African government's sodium reduction legislation, as well as global initiatives. More consideration should be given to promoting the intake of potassium-rich foods, as this may have a greater public health impact than focusing only on dietary sodium reduction

As a first step in combating the high hypertension rate in South Africa, the Government has recently implemented a mandatory regulation (R.214) pertaining to the sodium content of foodstuffs with targets for 2016 and 2019. We aimed to measure the sodium content and establish whether industry is complying with the targets set in Regulation R.214. The sodium content of ten food products, randomly selected from each of the 13 food categories as described in the regulation (R.214) were measured by means of atomic absorption spectrometry subsequent to microwave digestion. The majority of the food products tested comply with the targets for 2016 (72%) and almost half of the products with the 2019 targets (42%). The highest variation was observed in the "all fat and butter spread" (20%) category, as well as the "raw-processed meat sausages" (32%). All of the food categories, except for "flavoured potato crisp, excluding salt-and-vinegar" and "flavoured ready-to-eat savoury snack and potato crisp, salt-and-vinegar only", complied with the 2016 target. South Africa is at the forefront of countries implementing mandatory legislation for the reduction of sodium levels in food. These data provide valuable information with regards to baseline measurements and regulation compliance, therefore enabling future endeavours pertaining to sodium regulation in South African foodstuff