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

Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency is a worldwide public health concern, which can be addressed with voluntary or mandatory food fortification. The aim of this study was to determine if branded food composition databases can be used to investigate voluntary fortification practices. A case study was conducted using two nationally representative cross-sectional datasets of branded foods in Slovenia, collected in 2017 and 2020, and yearly sales data. Using food labeling data we investigated prevalence of fortification and average vitamin D content, while nutrient profiling was used to investigate overall nutritional quality of the foods. In both datasets, the highest prevalence of vitamin D fortification was observed in meal replacements (78% in 2017; 100% in 2020) and in margarine, corresponding to high market share. Other food categories commonly fortified with vitamin D are breakfast cereals (5% in 2017; 6% in 2020), yogurts and their imitates (5% in 2017; 4% in 2020), and baby foods (18% in both years). The highest declared average content of vitamin D was observed in margarine and foods for specific dietary use (7–8 μg/100g), followed by breakfast cereals (4 μg/100g), while the average content in other foods was below 2 μg/100g. Only minor differences were observed between 2017 and 2020. Major food-category differences were also observed in comparison of the overall nutritional quality of the fortified foods; higher overall nutritional quality was only observed in fortified margarine. Our study showed that branded food composition databases are extremely useful resources for the investigation and monitoring of fortification practices, particularly if sales data can also be used. In the absence of mandatory or recommended fortification in Slovenia, very few manufacturers decide to add vitamin D, and even when this is the case, such products are commonly niche foods with lower market shares. We observed exceptions in imported foods, which can be subject to fortification policies introduced in other countries.

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

“…In this study, biscuits were identified as a food category with the most frequent usage of PHO, but the study also showed a notably lower usage of this ingredient in 2017. Same approach has been used for the exploitation of food fortification practices with vitamin D ( 56 ).…”

Validation of the food frequency questionnaire for the assessment of dietary vitamin D intake

“…The tool included food products that were previously identified as important sources of vitamin D in Slovenia (15). Although Slovenia does not have a mandatory vitamin D fortification of foods, some food groups are commonly fortified (37) and were therefore included. The final sqFFQ/SI consisted of 22 food items that contain at least 0.03 µg of vitamin D per 100 g, according to the reviewed literature (38) and the selected food composition databases: Slovenian Open Platform for Clinical Nutrition (OPEN) (39), McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods (38), and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) database (40).…”

“…For example, in a nationally representative Slovenian SI. Menu study, 72.8% of adults were recognized as sea fish consumers when two 24 h dietary recalls were used, while the Food Propensity Questionnaire method identified 80.8% as true consumers (15).We developed an FFQ that covers the most important contributors to vitamin D intake in Slovenia, including eggs, fish, and fish products, meat and meat products, milk and milk products, and commonly fortified foods, such as plant-based milk alternatives (15,37). The validation of the FFQ (sqFFQ/SI1) was conducted on 54 participants using a 5day DR as a reference method.…”

Procedure to identify fortified foods in the Dutch branded food database

“…The growing number of branded food databases worldwide can fill this gap [e.g., ( 20–27 )], provided that information on relevant foods, nutrient values, and fortification is present, correct, and up to date. Some authors report “manual” identification of fortified foods by experts for (subsets of) their databases, for example ( 11 , 28–30 ).…”