How Do Consumers Understand Food Processing? A Study on the Brazilian Population

Abstract

Food guides are official documents that guide consumers’ food choices. They inform the qualitative classification of food groups and messages on how to adopt a healthy diet. The classifications and nomenclatures adopted in these documents vary according to cultural, nutritional, and scientific criteria. This study aimed to evaluate the understanding of Brazilian consumers regarding food classification according to the Food Guide for the Brazilian Population (FGBP) concepts. An instrument was constructed to assess consumer understanding. It was named “Understanding of the Level of Processing of Food” (ULPF) and validated according to the concepts of constructs presented by psychometrics such as the Delphi methodology. The instrument was composed of 36 items approved by experts (concordance > 80% and with good internal consistency). A total of 2333 Brazilians from all regions participated in the study. The results suggest that food classification according to the level of processing was difficult for participants to understand. About 85% of them did not understand or did not know the definitions and classification of food and preparations according to food and science technology (FST) and the FGBP. More than 50% of the participants believed that it was easier to classify food according to food groups.

The feasibility of implementing food-based dietary guidelines and food graphics in Ethiopia

“…In South Africa and our study, low economic status is a limiting factor for adherence to the guideline (Scott et al, 2009 ). By evaluating the FBDG's feasibility using the four focus areas (acceptability, cultural appropriateness, understanding, and practicability), countries can further tailor their dietary recommendations to the context of their nation for increased adherence (Gabe & Jaime, 2019 ; Monteiro et al, 2022 ).…”

How Do Brazilian Consumers Understand Food Groups in the Food-based Dietary Guidelines?

“…We compared these percentages to sociodemographic data and the respective item's botanical, agronomic, and nutritional characteristics. Also, we added one item to identify why the consumer considered it "to be easier" to classify food (1) "level of processing", (2) food groups, (3) nutrient sources, and (4) list of ingredients, if this was the consumer's answer to food classification, previously validated and applied to the Brazilian population [6] (Table A2; Appendix A). Sociodemographic data were added, such as nationality, administrative region, state residence, age, gender, education level, and monthly income.…”

“…Further, limiting sugar and saturated fatty acids and increasing fiber and unsaturated fatty acid intake also benefit public health [2,5]. As a diet in line with the current evidence-based guidelines decreases the risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality, it is crucial to guide food choices based, simultaneously, on scientific knowledge and consumer understanding of such choices [2,3,[6][7][8].…”

“…According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) [17], the food classification used in the Food-based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) is based on food groups and nutrient sources. The food classification according to food groups (cereals, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meat, among others) categorizes different foods according to their origin, nutritional properties, and marketing characteristics [6,16]. Thus, the FBDGs provide evidence-based, practical, and actionable recommendations that aim to guide the dietary behaviors of a nation through consumer education and targeted health policies and programs.…”

“…Considered food and nutritional education instruments for a population, FBDGs must describe foods with appropriate, understandable nomenclature specific to each country, and they must consider the classification of foods from a scientific point of view and "translate" this information to the consumer, avoiding inconsistencies and ambiguous information [18][19][20][21][22]. Researchers have already investigated consumer understanding of graphic information and information described in the FBDGs, as well as the consumption of specific food groups contained in these guidelines, such as the dairy and vegetable groups, and comparison of information between the FBDGs of some countries [1, 6,18,[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]. However, no study has assessed consumer understanding of all food items contained in their groups and described in the FBDGs available on the FAO website [17].…”