Advice and the Reality of Snacking Habits: a Worldwide Perspective

Abstract

BackgroundSnacking patterns and increased consumption of high fat/sugar food items (HFS) have been proposed as components of an adverse food environment; yet again no clear guidance is available to define their 'optimal' intake.
 Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted to identify existing recommendations on the consumption of HFS food items and snacks as well as reports documenting the actual consumption patterns in various countries worldwide. Nutritionists from 10 countries were also contacted to provide with a translation of recommendations published in languages other than English.
 Results: Overall, recommendations on snacking and HFS food items were available in 30 countries. Advice on the consumption of snacks was available in 9 countries suggesting they provide 10‐30% of energy intake (EI). Epidemiological data, on the other hand, shows that currently the percentage of energy obtained from snacks differs substantially between countries and is in the majority of the cases higher than recommended (17.4‐39.8%). Energy contribution of snacks Country Recommendation Target population Reported intake Population Spain 10‐15% EI General Sweden 20% EI General United Kingdom 20% EI General 17.4‐22.7% EI (15.7‐29.6% EI) Adults (Children) Brazil 15% EI General 21% EI General Chile 20% EI Adults USA 10% EI Children 18.4‐20.3% EI (17.0‐23.8% EI) Adults (Children) Italy 10‐14% EI Children Mexico 30% EI Children Canada ‐ ‐ 16.6‐26.5% EI (26.2‐29.6%EI) Adults (Children) Australia ‐ ‐ 28%EI Adults Belgium ‐ ‐ 20‐24% EI General Estonia ‐ ‐ 7% EI Children Finland ‐ ‐ 36.1‐39.8% EI Adults HFS food items were referred to in 25 recommendations but were rarely expressed quantitatively and if so they were highly variable. Consumption patterns are highly different among countries (7‐30.3%) with inconsistencies in the definition of HFS food items being one of the sources of heterogeneity. Energy contribution of HFS food items Country Recommendation Target population Reported intake Population Spain &9occasionally&9 General ‐ ‐ Sweden 13‐14% EI Adults ‐ ‐ United Kingdom &9small amounts&9 General 12.8‐16.2% EI Children Brazil &9avoid&9 General 7% EI General* USA 120‐330Kcal (100‐500 Kcal) General (Children) 11% EI Children Italy &9limit&9 General ‐ ‐ Mexico &9limit General 5.8% EI Adults Canada &9avoid&9 General 18.2‐22.5% EI Children Ireland ‐ ‐ 17.9% EI Children Netherlands &9reduce&9 Adults 15% EI General Australia &9limited&9 Adults 11.1‐15.8% EI General Iran ‐ ‐ 30.3% EI Children* Lebanon ‐ ‐ 6% EI Adults* France &9reduce&9 General ‐ ‐ Denmark &9limit&9 General ‐ ‐ Austria one serving/d General ‐ ‐ Switzerland one serving/day Adults ‐ ‐ Germany &9sparingly&9 General ‐ ‐ Belgium &9occasionally&9 General ‐ ‐ New Zealand &9limit&9 (once/week) General (Children) ‐ ‐ South Africa &9special occasions&9 General ‐ ‐ India &9limit&9 General ‐ ‐ Japan &9moderate General ‐ ‐ Vietnam &9limited&9 General ‐ ‐ Philippines &9limit&9 General ‐ ‐ Saudi Arabia &9limit&9 General ‐ ‐ Singapore added sugars <10% EI General ‐ ‐ South Korea 185‐225 kcal General ‐ ‐ Discussion: Current advice on snacking and the consumption of HFS food items is limited and inconclusive. Based on the recommendations available and the relevant consumption data, reducing energy intake from snacks to 蠄20% EI and limiting HFS food items could improve dietary habits while being aligned with current advice from various bodies.