Monitoring improvements in the nutritional quality of new packaged foods launched between 2016 and 2020

Abstract

Food and beverage companies reformulate packaged foods and to better align their products with public health policies and evolving consumer needs. The nutritional quality of packaged foodscan be tracked using nutrient profiling methods. The present study compared the nutritional quality of packaged foods launched globally between 2016 and 2018 and those launched in 2018–2020, as reported in the Mintel Global New Products Database. Nutrient profiling analyses showed that the nutrient composition of product categories shifted for almost 40% of newly launched products between 2016–2018 and 2018–2020. For example, pizzas that had been assigned to one nutritionally homogenous category in 2016–2018 separated in two nutritionally distinct subgroups in 2018–2020. The new products that were reduced in protein, saturated fat, and sodium were now nutritionally distinct from the traditional pizza offer. By 2018–2020 “best of category” products were significantly lower in sugar and sodium than before; however, no clear trend was observed for saturated fats, proteins, or fibers. The relative speed of product reformulation was category specific. This analysis of the Mintel Global New Products Database suggests that the WHO nutritional recommendations focusing on sugar and sodium reduction did have a positive impact on the composition of new packaged foods, whether through reformulation of existing products, launches of line extensions or new product development.

Does Pizza Consumption Favor an Improved Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis?

“…However, to our knowledge, no studies so far have investigated the role of pizza consumption in RA management, in Italy or in the rest of the world. On the other hand, as a cheap, mass-produced food, pizza may also be assumed to contain poor-quality ingredients [75]; in the effort to enhance flavor, palatability and, ultimately, consumer acceptance, pizza recipes may include higher proportions of cheese and salt than is recommended [75,76]. This does not necessarily apply to Italian pizza, for the following reasons:…”

“…(1) Italian pizza's composition generally balances carbohydrates, proteins, and fats well [39]. Should further evidence support our claim of improved RA activity with increased pizza consumption, nutritionists may suggest that RA patients eat pizza as a stand-alone meal more than once a week, while taking care not to exceed the suggested dietary target for sodium intake [69], which is easily reached through pizza consumption [39,76]. (2) Italian pizza is easier to digest, because high-quality tomato sauce is generally used [77], and the pizza is cooked at scorching temperatures [78].…”