A Survey of the Reformulation of Australian Child-oriented Food Products

Overview

Journal BMC Public Health

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Public Health

Date 2013 Sep 13

PMID 24025190

Citations 13

Authors

Stephanie Savio

Kaye Mehta

Tuesday Udell

John Coveney

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Childhood obesity is one of the most pressing public health challenges of the 21st century. Reformulating commonly eaten food products is a key emerging strategy to improve the food supply and help address rising rates of obesity and chronic disease. This study aimed to monitor reformulation of Australian child-oriented food products (products marketed specifically to children) from 2009-2011.

Methods: In 2009, all child-oriented food products in a large supermarket in metropolitan Adelaide were identified. These baseline products were followed up in 2011 to identify products still available for sale. Nutrient content data were collected from Nutrient Information Panels in 2009 and 2011. Absolute and percentage change in nutrient content were calculated for energy, total fat, saturated fat, sugars, sodium and fibre. Data were descriptively analysed to examine reformulation in individual products, in key nutrients, within product categories and across all products. Two methods were used to assess the extent of reformulation; the first involved assessing percentage change in single nutrients over time, while the second involved a set of nutrient criteria to assess changes in overall healthiness of products over time.

Results: Of 120 products, 40 remained unchanged in nutrient composition from 2009-2011 and 80 underwent change. The proportions of positively and negatively reformulated products were similar for most nutrients surveyed, with the exception of sodium. Eighteen products (15%) were simultaneously positively and negatively reformulated for different nutrients. Using percentage change in nutrient content to assess extent of reformulation, nearly half (n = 53) of all products were at least moderately reformulated and just over one third (n = 42) were substantially reformulated. The nutrient criteria method revealed 5 products (6%) that were positively reformulated and none that had undergone negative reformulation.

Conclusion: Positive and negative reformulation was observed to a similar extent within the sample indicating little overall improvement in healthiness of the child-oriented food supply from 2009-2011. In the absence of agreed reformulation standards, the extent of reformulation was assessed against criteria developed specifically for this project. While arbitrary in nature, these criteria were based on reasonable assessment of the meaningfulness of reformulation and change in nutrient composition. As well as highlighting nutrient composition changes in a number of food products directed to children, this study emphasises the need to develop comprehensive, targeted and standardised reformulation benchmarks to assess the extent of reformulation occurring in the food supply.

Citing Articles

The Impact of Non-Fiscal Mandatory and Voluntary Policies and Interventions on the Reformulation of Food and Beverage Products: A Systematic Review.

Packer J, Michalopoulou S, Cruz J, Dhar D, Stansfield C, Kaczmarska H Nutrients. 2024; 16(20).

PMID: 39458480 PMC: 11509918. DOI: 10.3390/nu16203484.

Baby, children, and adult biscuits. Differences in nutritional quality and naturalness.

Klerks M, Roman S, Sanchez-Siles L Food Sci Nutr. 2023; 11(12):7946-7956.

PMID: 38107111 PMC: 10724593. DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.3711.

The Nutritional Profile and On-Pack Marketing of Toddler-Specific Food Products Launched in Australia between 1996 and 2020.

McCann J, Russell C, Woods J Nutrients. 2022; 14(1).

PMID: 35011037 PMC: 8747045. DOI: 10.3390/nu14010163.

Changes in the amount of nutrient of packaged foods and beverages after the initial implementation of the Chilean Law of Food Labelling and Advertising: A nonexperimental prospective study.

Reyes M, Smith Taillie L, Popkin B, Kanter R, Vandevijvere S, Corvalan C PLoS Med. 2020; 17(7):e1003220.

PMID: 32722710 PMC: 7386631. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003220.

Healthy Foods and Healthy Diets. How Government Policies Can Steer Food Reformulation.

Gressier M, Sassi F, Frost G Nutrients. 2020; 12(7).

PMID: 32635525 PMC: 7400388. DOI: 10.3390/nu12071992.

References

Power C, Parsons T . Nutritional and other influences in childhood as predictors of adult obesity. Proc Nutr Soc. 2000; 59(2):267-72. DOI: 10.1017/s002966510000029x. View

. Diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases. World Health Organ Tech Rep Ser. 2003; 916:i-viii, 1-149, backcover. View

Elliott C . Assessing 'fun foods': nutritional content and analysis of supermarket foods targeted at children. Obes Rev. 2007; 9(4):368-77. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2007.00418.x. View

Chapman K, Nicholas P, Banovic D, Supramaniam R . The extent and nature of food promotion directed to children in Australian supermarkets. Health Promot Int. 2006; 21(4):331-9. DOI: 10.1093/heapro/dal028. View

Klesges R, Stein R, Eck L, Isbell T, Klesges L . Parental influence on food selection in young children and its relationships to childhood obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 1991; 53(4):859-64. DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/53.4.859. View

van Raaij J, Hendriksen M, Verhagen H . Potential for improvement of population diet through reformulation of commonly eaten foods. Public Health Nutr. 2008; 12(3):325-30. DOI: 10.1017/S1368980008003376. View

Lobstein T, Baur L, Uauy R . Obesity in children and young people: a crisis in public health. Obes Rev. 2004; 5 Suppl 1:4-104. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2004.00133.x. View

Birch L, Fisher J . Development of eating behaviors among children and adolescents. Pediatrics. 2002; 101(3 Pt 2):539-49. View

Ratnayake W, LAbbe M, Mozaffarian D . Nationwide product reformulations to reduce trans fatty acids in Canada: when trans fat goes out, what goes in?. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2008; 63(6):808-11. DOI: 10.1038/ejcn.2008.39. View

10.

Malik V, Schulze M, Hu F . Intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006; 84(2):274-88. PMC: 3210834. DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/84.1.274. View

11.

Lindsay A, Sussner K, Kim J, Gortmaker S . The role of parents in preventing childhood obesity. Future Child. 2006; 16(1):169-86. DOI: 10.1353/foc.2006.0006. View

12.

Ludwig D, Peterson K, Gortmaker S . Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity: a prospective, observational analysis. Lancet. 2001; 357(9255):505-8. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(00)04041-1. View

13.

Webster J, Dunford E, Neal B . A systematic survey of the sodium contents of processed foods. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009; 91(2):413-20. DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.28688. View

14.

Mozaffarian D, Jacobson M, Greenstein J . Food reformulations to reduce trans fatty acids. N Engl J Med. 2010; 362(21):2037-9. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc1001841. View

15.

Mehta K, Phillips C, Ward P, Coveney J, Handsley E, Carter P . Marketing foods to children through product packaging: prolific, unhealthy and misleading. Public Health Nutr. 2012; 15(9):1763-70. DOI: 10.1017/S1368980012001231. View

16.

He F, Marrero N, Macgregor G . Salt and blood pressure in children and adolescents. J Hum Hypertens. 2007; 22(1):4-11. DOI: 10.1038/sj.jhh.1002268. View

17.

Williams P, McMahon A, Boustead R . A case study of sodium reduction in breakfast cereals and the impact of the Pick the Tick food information program in Australia. Health Promot Int. 2003; 18(1):51-6. DOI: 10.1093/heapro/18.1.51. View

18.

Cornwell T, McAlister A . Alternative thinking about starting points of obesity. Development of child taste preferences. Appetite. 2011; 56(2):428-39. DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2011.01.010. View

19.

Ludwig D, Nestle M . Can the food industry play a constructive role in the obesity epidemic?. JAMA. 2008; 300(15):1808-11. DOI: 10.1001/jama.300.15.1808. View

20.

Wyness L, Butriss J, Stanner S . Reducing the population's sodium intake: the UK Food Standards Agency's salt reduction programme. Public Health Nutr. 2011; 15(2):254-61. DOI: 10.1017/S1368980011000966. View