High variation in manufacturer-declared serving size of packaged discretionary foods in Australia

Haskelberg, Hila; Neal, Bruce; Dunford, Elizabeth; Flood, Victoria M; Rangan, Anna; Thomas, Beth; Cleanthous, Xenia; Trevena, Helen; Zheng, Jazzmin Miaobing; Louie, Jimmy Chun Yu; Gill, Timothy; Wu, Jason

doi:10.1017/s0007114516000799

Cited by 17 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Research suggests that a lack of serving size standardization among similar foods may affect the objectives of nutrition labeling, as it complicates food choices 6,[13][14][15] . Studies have suggested that this lack of serving size standardization may be related to the energy density of processed foods 16,17 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serving size on nutrition labeling for processed foods sold in Brazil: Relationship to energy value

et al. 2016

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Objective: This study aimed to analyze serving sizes declared on food labels with respect to their conformity to Brazilian law, variability among similar foods, and relationship to energy values. Methods: Food label information from 24 groups of processed foods was collected in one supermarket in southern Brazil. Declared serving sizes were classified into five groups according to their level of compliance with those recommended by law: <70% and >130% inadequate and 70-99%, 100% and 101-130% adequate. Descriptive analyses, Spearman correlations, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were applied. Results: A total of 1,953 food products were analyzed, of which 72% reported serving sizes exactly equal to those recommended, and 14% fell within the acceptable 60% range established by law. Even though most foods complied with the law, there was a variation in declared serving sizes among similar foods, with the largest ranges observed for hamburger and meatballs (364 g). In addition, declared serving sizes were significantly and positively correlated to energy value in most food groups, revealing that smaller serving sizes may be used to report lower energy value. Conclusion: The 60% acceptable serving size range established by law may lead to a lack of serving size standardization and significant variability in declared energy values on labels. This can potentially make labels confusing when comparing similar products and thus affect food choices. It is necessary to revise Brazilian law so that serving sizes are standardized among similar foods in order to facilitate healthy food choices.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serving size on nutrition labeling for processed foods sold in Brazil: Relationship to energy value

et al. 2016

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“…Classification of packaged foods as healthy and unhealthy was reported . Nutrient profiling models utilized included the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) Nutrient Profiling Scoring criterion, which is used to determine whether a food is suitable to make a health claim ; the New South Wales School Canteen criteria, criteria developed for an Australian food company, and the United Kingdom Traffic Light criteria ; the Health Star Rating front‐of‐pack labelling device scores ; and the Australian Dietary Guidelines . Changes in energy, total fat and protein content of yogurts and dairy desserts were assessed over time .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Classification of packaged foods as healthy and unhealthy was reported (28,54,57,67,68 Use of promotional signage to identify nutritious foods (83,94) 2 Prevalence of unhealthy foods in store external displays (86) 1 Impact of supermarket health promotion interventions (95,96,109) 3…”

Section: Nutritional Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

What is known about consumer nutrition environments in Australia? A scoping review of the literature

Pulker

Thornton

Trapp

2018

Obesity Science & Practice

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SummaryObjectiveFood environments can influence food selection and hold the potential to reduce obesity, non‐communicable diseases and their inequalities. ‘Consumer nutrition environments’ describe what consumers encounter within a food retail outlet, including products, price, promotion and placement. This study aimed to summarize the attributes that have been examined in existing peer‐reviewed studies of Australian consumer nutrition environments, identify knowledge gaps and provide recommendations for future research.MethodsA systematic search of peer‐reviewed literature was conducted. Sixty‐six studies that assessed an aspect of within‐store consumer nutrition environments were included.ResultsMost studies were published from 2011 onwards and were conducted in capital cities and in supermarkets. Studies assessed the domains of product (40/66), price (26/66), promotion (16/66) and placement (6/66). The most common research themes identified were assessment of the impact of area socioeconomic status (13/66), remoteness (9/66) and food outlet type (7/66) on healthy food prices; change in price of healthy foods (6/66); variety of healthy foods (5/66); and prevalence of unhealthy child‐orientated products (5/66).ConclusionsThis scoping review identified a large number of knowledge gaps. Recommended priorities for researchers are as follows: (1) develop consistent observational methodology, (2) consider consumer nutrition environments in rural and remote communities, (3) develop an understanding of food service outlets, (4) build on existing evidence in all four domains of product, price, placement and promotion and (5) determine effective policy and store‐based interventions to increase healthy food selection.

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“…Targeting the serving sizes of discretionary foods, especially those that are consumed in large quantities, is one strategy that can help to reduce excessive energy intake . However, there is currently little information available to guide consumers towards choosing appropriate portion sizes, with serving sizes being at the discretion of the supplier, and are not standardised within product categories . In addition, the vast variety of products included within the discretionary foods category limits clear guidelines for discretionary serving sizes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…6 However, there is currently little information available to guide consumers towards choosing appropriate portion sizes, with serving sizes being at the discretion of the supplier, and are not standardised within product categories. 7,8 In addition, the vast variety of products included within the discretionary foods category limits clear guidelines for discretionary serving sizes. As food serving sizes are often used as a cue to guide an individual on how much to eat, 9 it is important to formulate feasible and standard quantities for consumption, which align with Australian Dietary Guidelines advice on discretionary foods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison between serving sizes of cakes and muffins sold in Australian supermarkets and coffee shop chains

Liang

Gemming

Wellard‐Cole

et al. 2019

Nutrition & Dietetics

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Aim Cakes and muffins are commonly consumed discretionary foods that have increased significantly in portion size over the past decades. The present study aimed to (i) investigate serving sizes and energy per serving of cakes and muffins sold in supermarkets and coffee chains, (ii) compare to standard discretionary serves and (iii) propose feasible and appropriate serving size recommendations. Methods Serving sizes and energy content of cakes and muffins were collected from four major Australian supermarkets (n = 219) and eight coffee chains (n = 248) between March and April 2017 and classified into eight categories and compared using Mann–Whitney tests. Median energy per serving of cakes and muffins from supermarkets and coffee chains were compared to the Australian Dietary Guidelines standard serve of 600 kJ for discretionary food. Results The median serving size of cakes and muffins from supermarkets, 58 g (interquartile range, IQR: 47–83) and their energy content, 915 kJ (IQR: 745–1243) were significantly smaller compared with coffee chain equivalents, 148 g (IQR: 115–171, P < 0.001) and 1805 kJ (IQR: 1436–2004, P < 0.001), respectively. The majority of cakes and muffins exceeded the Australian Dietary Guidelines standard serve (78% from supermarkets and 99% from coffee chains). Conclusions The larger servings of cakes and muffins sold in coffee chains contain nearly double the energy content of smaller servings sold in supermarkets. We recommend reference serving sizes for industry and food retail are set for this category, in combination with consumer education to guide consumers to select appropriate portion sizes.

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High variation in manufacturer-declared serving size of packaged discretionary foods in Australia

Cited by 17 publications

References 28 publications

Serving size on nutrition labeling for processed foods sold in Brazil: Relationship to energy value

Serving size on nutrition labeling for processed foods sold in Brazil: Relationship to energy value

What is known about consumer nutrition environments in Australia? A scoping review of the literature

Comparison between serving sizes of cakes and muffins sold in Australian supermarkets and coffee shop chains

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