Energy Density of New Food Products Targeted to Children

Abstract

High dietary energy density (ED) is linked to childhood obesity and poor diet quality. The Australian Health Star Rating (HSR) system aims to assist consumers in making healthful food choices. This cross-sectional study used 2014–2018 data from the Mintel Global New Products Database to describe the ED of new food products targeted to children (5–12 years) released after the introduction of HSR and examine relationships between ED and HSR. Products were categorised by ED (low < 630 kJ/100 g, medium 630–950 kJ/100 g, high > 950 kJ/100 g) and HSR (no, HSR < 2.5 low, HSR ≥ 2.5 high). Non-parametric statistics were used to examine ED and HSR. A total of 548 products targeted children: 21% low, 5% medium, 74% high ED. One hundred products displayed an HSR: 24% low, 76% high; 53 products with both high HSR and ED. The EDs of products differed by HSR (p < 0.05), but both group’s medians (HSR < 2.5: 1850 kJ/100 g, HSR ≥ 2.5: 1507 kJ/100 g) were high. A high proportion of new products had a high ED, and the HSR of these foods did not consistently discriminate between ED levels, particularly for high ED foods. Policies to promote lower ED foods and better alignment between ED and HSR may improve childhood obesity and diet quality.

Commercial Baby Foods Aimed at Children up to 36 Months: Are They a Matter of Concern?

“…Low energy density can be a problem because the small stomachs of babies and young children limit them to relatively small amounts of consumption at mealtimes. Conversely, some products in the sweet snacks category that are suitable for children above 6 months have a high energy density, thus enhancing the risk of excessive energy intake and unfavourable gain in body mass [40].…”

The effects of blackcurrant and strawberry powder on the physicochemical and in vitro glycaemic response of starches derived from sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) and potato (Solanum tuberosum)

“…The incorporation of berry powder increased the content of fibre in the pastes, whilst decreasing starch content. The decrease in starch content could be explained by the dilution factor of berry powder, which contained lower starch content (Azzopardi et al ., 2020).…”

Front-of-Package Nutrition Labeling and Its Impact on Food Industry Practices: A Systematic Review of the Evidence

“…Data collection systems varied within studies. The majority of articles collected information directly from packages (n = 18) [20,[27][28][29][30][31]34,35,37,41,42,45,50,51,54,55,57,61], three studies used self-reported information from foundations or manufacturers [49,53,56], two gathered information through a review of the literature [33,38], and one study had no information on data collection [40].…”

“…Overall, food retailers were the most common users of voluntary labels, labeling products of their own brands [20,31,35,45,49,55,57]. In contrast, manufacturers' brands had lower [31,50] and more selective uptakes [49,54], leaning towards displaying labels on products with healthier scores [27][28][29]35,37,42,50,51,55,57].…”