Title
Nutritional quality of food and beverages offered in supermarkets of lima according to the peruvian law of healthy eating
Date Issued
01 May 2020
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Publisher(s)
MDPI AG
Abstract
The purpose of this paper was to determine the foods and beverages offered in the city of Lima, Peru, that would be subject to front-of-package warning labels (octagons) according to the thresholds for the two phases (6 and 39 months after the approval) for nutrients of concern (sugar, sodium, saturated fat, and trans-fat) included in the Peruvian Law of Healthy Eating. An observational, descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted that evaluated the nutritional composition of processed and ultra-processed foods that are sold in a supermarket chain in Lima. Of all the processed and ultra-processed foods captured, foods that report nutritional information and do not require reconstitution to be consumed were included. A descriptive analysis was carried out by food categories to report the nutrient content and the percentage of foods that would be subject to front-of-package warning labels. Results: A total of 1234 foods were evaluated, according to the initial thresholds that became effective 6 months after the law was implemented; 35.9% of foods had two octagons; 34.8% had one octagon; 15.8% had no octagons; 12% had three octagons; and no products had four octagons. At 39 months, when the final and more restrictive thresholds become effective, 4.8% did not have octagons. The majority of processed and ultra-processed foods that are sold in a Peruvian supermarket chain carry at least one octagon, and more than 10% of them carry octagons for three of the four nutrients of concern.
Volume
12
Issue
5
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Alimentos y bebidas
Nutrición, Dietética
Políticas de salud, Servicios de salud
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85085217851
PubMed ID
Source
Nutrients
ISSN of the container
20726643
Sponsor(s)
International Development Research Center
International Development Research Center (IDRC) for the financing.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus