Scientific advice related to nutrient profiling for the development of harmonised mandatory front‐of‐pack nutrition labelling and the setting of nutrient profiles for restricting nutrition and health claims on foods

Abstract

Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver scientific advice related to nutrient profiling for the development of harmonised mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling and the setting of nutrient profiles for restricting nutrition and health claims on foods. This Opinion is based on systematic reviews and meta-analyses of human studies on nutritionally adequate diets, data from the Global Burden of Disease framework, clinical practice guidelines, previous EFSA opinions and the priorities set by EU Member States in the context of their Food-Based Dietary Guidelines and associated nutrient/ food intake recommendations. Relevant publications were retrieved through comprehensive searches in PubMed. The nutrients included in the assessment are those likely to be consumed in excess or in inadequate amounts in a majority of European countries. Food groups with important roles in European diets have been considered. The Panel concludes that dietary intakes of saturated fatty acids (SFA), sodium and added/free sugars are above, and intakes of dietary fibre and potassium below, current dietary recommendations in a majority of European populations. As excess intakes of SFAs, sodium and added/free sugars and inadequate intakes of dietary fibre and potassium are associated with adverse health effects, they could be included in nutrient profiling models. Energy could be included because a reduction in energy intake is of public health importance for European populations. In food group/category-based nutrient profiling models, total fat could replace energy in most food groups owing to its high-energy density, while the energy density of food groups with low or no fat content may be well accounted for by the inclusion of (added/free) sugars. Some nutrients may be included in nutrient profiling models for reasons other than their public health importance, e.g. as a proxy for other nutrients of public health importance, or to allow for a better discrimination of foods within the same food category.

Red and Processed Meat Consumption in Poland

“…The maximum amount of these types of meat is usually given as up to 500 g/week (e.g., Finland, Sweden), or less than twice weekly (e.g., Malta) [ 14 ]. The recommendations of many countries mention fish, eggs, legumes, mycoprotein-based foods, and seitan as meat substitutes [ 2 , 14 ].…”

“…It is also recommended to consume very little, if any, processed meat [ 13 ]. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) analysed the most recent systematic reviews of prospective cohort studies and estimated that the risk of chronic diseases, especially cancer, increases at a consumption of 100–120 g/day of unprocessed red meat and 50 g/day of processed meat [ 2 ]. These amounts are above most current recommendations in European national FBDGs.…”

“…It can also provide the body with unfavourable saturated fatty acids or cholesterol. In addition, processed meat often contains high amounts of sodium [ 1 , 2 ].…”

Food labeling in the European Union: a review of existing approaches

“…Ahead of this, the European Commission has asked the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to provide scientific advice on nutrient profiling, based on which a harmonized FoPNL could be developed. The report concluded that saturated fat, added and free sugar and sodium should be included due to their adverse health effects when consumed in excess, whereas dietary fiber and potassium are currently consumed in too small amounts (Turck et al, 2022). However, the advice does not entail the creation of a new model to rank nutrients, nor does it offer recommendations on the existing models that have already been implemented.…”

5-Methyltetrahydrofolate Is a Crucial Factor in Determining the Bioaccessibility of Folate in Bread

“…Folate is an umbrella term describing a series of compounds that have similar structures and biological activities as folic acid. Folate is essential for the metabolism of amino acids, as well as for DNA and RNA synthesis. , However, dietary folate intake in European populations is often insufficient . Deficiency of folate is associated with a series of developmental, immune, and neurological disorders, such as neural tube defects and anemia .…”