How many foods in the UK carry health and nutrition claims, and are they healthier than those that do not?

ABSTRACT:

Objective

The present study aimed to measure the prevalence of different types of health and nutrition claims on foods and non-alcoholic beverages in a UK sample and to assess the nutritional quality of such products carrying health or nutrition claims.

Design

A survey of health and nutrition claims on food packaging using a newly defined taxonomy of claims and internationally agreed definitions of claim types.

Setting

A national UK food retailer: Tesco.

Subjects

Three hundred and eighty-two products randomly sampled from those available through the retailer's website.

Results

Of the products, 32 % (95 % CI 28, 37 %) carried either a health or nutrition claim; 15 % (95 % CI 11, 18 %) of products carried at least one health claim and 29 % (95 % CI 25, 34

SUBMITTER: Kaur A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4825057 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature