Ultra-processed food purchases in Norway: a quantitative study on a representative sample of food retailers

Abstract

Objective: To identify the use of ultra-processed foods -vectors of salt, sugar and fats -in the Norwegian diet through an assessment of food sales. Design: Sales data from a representative sample of food retailers in Norway, collected in September 2005 (n 150) and September 2013 (n 170), were analysed. Data consisted of barcode scans of individual food item purchases, reporting type of food, price, geographical region and retail concept. Foods were categorized as minimally processed, culinary ingredients, processed products and ultra-processed. Indicators were share of purchases and share of expenditure on food categories. Setting: Six geographical regions in Norway. Subjects: The barcode data included 296 121 observations in 2005 and 501 938 observations in 2013. Results: Ultra-processed products represented 58·8 % of purchases and 48·8 % of expenditure in 2013. Minimally processed foods accounted for 17·2 % of purchases and 33·0 % of expenditure. Every third purchase was a sweet ultra-processed product. Food sales changed marginally in favour of minimally processed foods and in disfavour of processed products between 2005 and 2013 (χ 2 (3) = 203 195, P < 0·001, Cramer's V = 0·017, P < 0·001). Conclusions: Ultra-processed products accounted for the majority of food sales in Norway, indicating a high consumption of such products. This could be contributing to rising rates of overweight, obesity and non-communicable diseases in the country, as findings from other countries indicate. Policy measures should aim at decreasing consumption of ultra-processed products and facilitating access (including economic) to minimally processed foods.

Characterisation of UK diets according to degree of food processing and associations with socio-demographics and obesity: cross-sectional analysis of UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (2008–12)

“…Unlike many previous authors [ 6 – 8 , 10 – 12 , 14 – 17 , 27 ], we have been explicit in how foods were coded to food processing groups. We found applying this coding harder than anticipated.…”

Ultra-processed Food Intake and Obesity: What Really Matters for Health—Processing or Nutrient Content?

“…Ultra-processed food purchasing and consumption patterns have been described in several countries [4], with studies in Brazil [17, 32-35], Chile [16, 36], Colombia [37], Indonesia [38], Kenya [39], multiple European countries [9, 40], France [41], Norway [42, 43], Sweden [44], Australia [45, 46], New Zealand [47], USA [19, 20, 48, 49], Canada [18, 50, 51], and the UK [15, 40, 52]. …”

“…Ultra-processed products contributed 61-62% of calories in packaged food and beverage purchases from retail food stores by households in the US between 2000 and 2012 [20], 55% of calories purchased in Canada in 2001 [50], 51% of calories purchased in the UK in 2008 [40], and 49% of sales expenditures at food retailers in Norway in 2013 [42]. In terms of dietary intake, ultra-processed products provided 58% of energy intake for children and adults in the US [19], 48% in Canada [51] and 36% in France [41].…”

Cereals 17 Symposium: Introductory Brain Teaser for the Cereal Chemist—How Do We Categorize Processed and Ultraprocessed Foods?

“…Studies using food-intake databases for children and adults from a number of countries throughout the lifespan show that PFs and UPFs make up more than 60% of calories consumed and contribute most of the added sugar and salt in the diet (1-3, 7,11,12, [15][16][17]22,25,26,29,31,33). However, the research presents a classic tautology, in that foods with added sugar and salt are deemed to be PFs or UPFs.…”