The Potential Impact of Nutrient Profiles on Dairy-related Energy and Nutrient Intake in German Children and Adolescents

Background/objectives: To evaluate the potential impact of nutrient profiling-based dairy product choices on energy and nutrient intake in German children and adolescents.

Subjects/methods: Consumption data were obtained from product-specific dietary records in the DONALD Study (Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed Study). We compared actual intake data with intake data that were calculated based on the assumption that participants exclusively consumed products that met the criteria of selected nutrient profiling models.

Results: For most profiling models, the percentage of compliant products was unrelated to the percentage of the participants' dairy consumption rated eligible. The participants' intake of energy, saturated fatty acids (SAFA), sodium, calcium and vitamin D would be reduced significantly (P<0.0001) if only qualifying products were consumed. The impact on the participants' nutrient intake levels was not directly related to the impact on the product's nutrient content levels. Lower fat consumption was correlated with reduced vitamin D intake, and the models' disqualification of (semi-) hard cheeses had a negative impact on the calcium intake.

Conclusions: The evaluation of product-specific intake data was critical to understand the potential impact of any profiling scheme on nutrient intake. Selecting dairy products based on nutrient profiling could help reduce the intake of less-desirable nutrients, such as SAFA and sodium. However, models that are too restrictive might negatively impact calcium and vitamin D intake. Ultimately, the effectiveness of nutrient profiling models will be determined by the fact whether or not complying foods are consumed.