Branded Foods Databases as a Tool to Support Nutrition Research and Monitoring of the Food Supply: Insights From the Slovenian Composition and Labeling Information System

Abstract

Branded foods databases are becoming very valuable not only in nutrition research but also for clinical practice, policymakers, businesses, and general population. In contrast to generic foods, branded foods are marked by rapid changes in the food supply because of reformulations, the introduction of new foods, and the removal of existing ones from the market. Also, different branded foods are available in different countries. This not only complicates the compilation of branded foods datasets but also causes such datasets to become out of date quickly. In this review, we present different approaches to the compilation of branded foods datasets, describe the history and progress of building and updating such datasets in Slovenia, and present data to support nutrition research and monitoring of the food supply. Manufacturers are key sources of information for the compilation of branded foods databases, most commonly through food labels. In Slovenia, the branded food dataset is compiled using standard food monitoring studies conducted at all major retailers. Cross-sectional studies are conducted every few years, in which the food labels of all available branded foods are photographed. Studies are conducted using the Composition and Labeling Information System (CLAS) infrastructure, composed of a smartphone application for data collection and online data extraction and management tool. We reviewed various uses of branded foods datasets. Datasets can be used to assess the nutritional composition of food in the food supply (i.e., salt, sugar content), the use of specific ingredients, for example, food additives, for nutrient profiling, and assessment of marketing techniques on food labels. Such datasets are also valuable for other studies, for example, assessing nutrient intakes in dietary surveys. Additional approaches are also being tested to keep datasets updated between food monitoring studies. A promising approach is the exploitation of crowdsourcing through the mobile application VešKajJeš, which was launched in Slovenia to support consumers in making healthier dietary choices.

Verifying the Use of Food Labeling Data for Compiling Branded Food Databases: A Case Study of Sugars in Beverages

“…Branded food databases contain a large amount of data based on food labeling information, which in turn (if accurate) can help the responsible authorities and researchers compile a more comprehensive picture of food intake in the population and monitor food reformulation progress. For example, in Slovenia, such data are collected as part of the Composition and Labeling Information System (CLAS) ( 4 ). SSBs are a particularly important category because they are subject to reformulation activities.…”

“…To provide insights into the feasibility of the market share-driven sampling approach, we collected data on the labeled sugar content for the SSBs in the original NielsenIQ dataset. Using the 2019 edition of the Slovenian branded foods database ( 4 ), which was compiled using labeled nutrition declarations, we were able to ascertain the labeled sugar contents for 309 SSBs linked to available yearly sales data.…”

“…Epidemiological nutritional studies mostly convert food consumption data into nutrient intake data based on food composition databases ( 2 , 3 ). While databases for generic foods are typically built based on complex laboratory analyses, such datasets lack details of the nutritional composition of specific processed (branded) foods ( 4 ). Because branded foods are gaining importance in people's diets, branded food composition datasets have become a common data source used in nutrition research ( 5 , 6 ).…”

Use of Branded Food Composition Databases for the Exploitation of Food Fortification Practices: A Case Study on Vitamin D in the Slovenian Food Supply

“…The source of branded food composition data was the Slovenian Composition and Labeling Information System (CLAS). CLAS is an online tool for monitoring the supply of the prepacked foods in Slovenia, maintained by the Nutrition Institute (Ljubljana, Slovenia) ( 58 ). The tool was developed within the national research program “Nutrition and Public Health”, funded by a Slovenian research agency.…”

Fermented foods and cardiometabolic health: Definitions, current evidence, and future perspectives

“…The same generic fermented food can have many unique formulations depending on the manufacturing source. Here, the use of branded food databases (where information on food composition is provided by manufacturers, food monitoring, and crowdsourcing) are gaining momentum and could be a valuable resource in comprehensively capturing the ingredients within branded fermented foods ( 106 – 108 ). Documenting the composition of fermented foods could open new research avenues for understanding how their consumption affects health and disease.…”