eSymposia 2021-2022 Presentations

M. Amini, D. Ghodsi, A. Zargaraan. Monitoring food promotion to children in Iran mass media: Modification of INFORMAS protocol.

Introduction: For systematic and consistent data collection and analysis, the International Network for Food and Obesity/NCDs Research, Monitoring and Action Support (INFORMAS) have developed a protocol. Although the protocol has detailed the relevant methods, it does not entirely fulfill our needs in the context of Iran. The present study aimed to modify the INFORMAS protocol to be used as a reliable tool for analyzing the content of TV, radio, and billboards in Iran. Methods: The original protocol, FOOD PROMOTION MODULE, Food marketing-Television, was translated to Farsi. Since the protocol is mainly developed for television, it was needed to be adjusted to cover radio and billboards data, as well. The revised protocols were evaluated by a panel of experts. Findings: Three protocols for data collection and analysis for Television, radio, and billboards were developed. For nutrient profiling of the advertised products, in addition to food category coding of INFORMAS and WHO EU Nutrient Profiling System, article 37 of the Fifth Development Plan of the Islamic Republic of Iran (2011-2015) in which a list of unhealthy food products banned for advertising in the country was applied. In addition, the variable “appeals” was added to all three protocols. Further, the “program category” was modified to be used for coding advertisements in Iran’s TV, radio, and billboards. For the radio protocol, three items, including Cartoon/Company-owned character, Licenced character, and Celebrity were deleted. In billboards’ protocol, Location was added and variable 7, “Day” was deleted. Conclusion: The modified protocols in this study can serve to produce data that will be consistent and comparable between countries, regions, and different time points.

M. Babashahi, N. Omidvar, H. Joulaei, A. Zargaraan, R. Kelishadi. The food environment in and around primary schools in Iran: challenges and recommendations.

Introduction: School food environment plays an important role in shaping students’ health and nutrition behaviours and has been defined as one of the main settings for implementing policies to prevent childhood obesity and subsequent non-communicable diseases. This study aimed to assess the food environment in and around primary schools in Tehran, as one of the most populated provinces in Iran in order to analyze existing policies achievements and gaps. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed using a mixed-method approach. Healthy School Canteen (HSC) policy, as the main policy on school food environment in Iran was analyzed through documents review, semi-structured interviews with key informants, and direct observation of schools. Through the observations, food items available in 64 canteens of primary schools in Tehran province were recorded and their nutrient content were evaluated using the nutrition facts on their packages. The number and proportion of foods that met the criteria based on HSC guideline, as well as the World Health Organization nutrient profile model for the Eastern Mediterranean Region (WHO-EMR) were determined. Also, to evaluate food environment around the same primary schools (within a 500-meter buffer), the proportion of packaged processed/ultra-processed foods with child-oriented marketing attributes in 239 food stores were observed and recorded. Data were evaluated against the WHO-EMR nutrient profiling model. Also, the compliance level of food advertising around the schools was evaluated through comparing them with the list of health-threatening foods which their advertising are banned, as well as the WHO-EMR model. Results: The findings showed that a large proportion of available foods in the school canteens did not comply with the national guideline (54.7±2.54%) and WHO-EMR model (85.6±2.34%). The main reasons behind the incomplete implementation of the policy were inadequate physical and economic infrastructure to set up standard school canteens, poor monitoring, high price of healthy foods, lack of scientific criteria for food categorization, and conflict of interest among the actors. Among food products marketed to children in the food stores around schools via their packaging, 93.9% were not in concordance with WHO EMR’s criteria. The difference between the national guideline and the WHO-EMR criteria was an issue. While 71.1% of food advertisings around schools were permitted items according to the national lists, the majority of them (84.6%) did not meet the WHO-EMR nutritional standards. Discussion and conclusion: There are relatively poor implementation of present policies regarding food environment in or around the schools and food advertisements outdoor zones of schools. Iran HSC policy needs to be improved through strengthening its content and monitoring structure, and by promoting community participation and active interaction between all key actors.

C. Burgaz. Effectiveness of food policies and interventions on nutrition, the environment and inequalities.

Background: As by 2050 the global population will be close to 10 billion, a pressing question is how to act at policy level to meet the demand for nutritious food, providing healthy and accessible diets for all, without impairing biodiversity, natural sources and the environment.  Methods: This scoping review aims to identify the effectiveness of food policies or interventions on nutritional, environmental and equity outcomes. In July 2021, a literature search was conducted using four academic database. From the resulting reviews, a preliminary title and abstract screening was performed, followed by an initial extraction of key information (publication year, policy subdomains, outcomes). Results: The 232 full-text reviews filtered by title and abstract screening to be assessed for eligibility were selected out of a total of 9,215. A 63% (n=148) of the reviews assessing the effect of food policies or interventions on nutrition, environmental sustainability or equity were published within the last five years. A vast majority of them (n=162) focused on food production, provision, prices, composition or food environments in general. Within supply chains, the main outcome studied is undernutrition, present in 38 out of 73 reviews, followed by environmental sustainability; for food environments, overnutrition represents the main focus, assessed in 91 out of 158 reviews. Conclusions:  Current evidence available is limited across policy interventions. The initial data extracted indicates a need for more systemic, accurate and evidence-based policy evaluations, especially within food handling, loss/waste, trade and labelling.

S. K. Djojosoeparto, C.B.M. Kamphuis, S. Vandevijvere, C. Murrin, I. Stanley, P. Romaniuk, J.M. Harrington, M.P. Poelman. Strength of EU-level food environment policies and priority recommendations to create healthy food environments.

Introduction: Food environments have an important impact on population diets, obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Government policies are essential to create healthy food environments. Currently, it is largely unknown to what extent the EU has implemented policies that affect food environments. Methods: The Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI), including 26 policy indicators and 24 infrastructure support indicators, was applied. Independent experts (n=31) rated the strength of EU-level policies and infrastructure support for each of these indicators (on a 5-point scale, from very weak to very strong) and identified and prioritised actions to improve food environments. Results: 65% of the policy indicators were rated weak and 23% very weak. 63% of the infrastructure support indicators were rated moderate and 33% weak. The experts recommended 18 policy and 19 infrastructure support actions to the EU. Priority recommendations included, for example, setting mandatory food composition targets and developing a high-level NCDs Prevention Strategy. Discussion: The weakness of EU-level policies might, for example, be related to the competences of the EU with regard to food environment policies or the influential strategies of the food industry. With the Farm to Fork actions key aspects of the food environment are addressed, but not as comprehensive as the actions recommended by experts in this study. Conclusion: There is large potential to strengthen EU-level policies and infrastructure support to improve food environments. Recommended actions should be implemented by the EU to create healthy food environments and reduce overweight, obesity and diet-related chronic diseases in EU Member States.

D. Ghodsi, F. Mohammadi-Nasrabadi, A. Haghighian Roudsari, M-R. Khoshfetrat, M. Babapoor, F. Esfarjani, M. Ajami, A. Zargaran. Sugar-sweetened beverages expenditure patterns in Iran after tax revenue: implications for policy implementation.

Introduction: Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are one of the largest sources of added sugar and risk factors of obesity and diabetes. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of fiscal policies in reducing household expenditure on carbonated soft drinks in Iran over the last decade. Methods: Data were gathered through reviewing on fiscal policies on SSBs in Iran, as well as secondary data analysis. All regulatory measures, documents and master plans, including constitution, the development plans, overall health policies and approvals from the high council of health and food security, and subsidy and taxes regarding the trade and marketing of SSBs in Iran were collected. Also, secondary data regarding the price of SSBs and household consumption and expenditure on carbonated soft drinks during the last decade were collected from household income-expenditure survey (HIES) obtained from Statistical center of Iran, Central bank, Consumers & Producers Protection Organization as the organization responsible for the pricing of basic goods, and Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME). Results: Taxation on health threatening products in Iran started since the third development plan (2000 to 2004) and imposed a 15% tax on carbonated beverages; however, it was not implemented due to administrative problems. According to the Article 37 of Iran fifth 5-Years Development Plan (2011-2015), the list of health-related harmful goods and the percentage of taxes assigned should be determined by MOHME. Based on the Budget Law of 2013-2017, the government is obliged to receive the tax revenue for 15% increase in the price of domestically produced carbonated sugar sweetened soft drinks and 20% increase in the price of imported carbonated soft drinks. The actual price increased during the studied years and deflated price index trend showed gradual decrease from 2011 to 2016 which sharply increased in 2017. The household expenditure data demonstrated that the average per capita household expenses on carbonated soft drinks increased sharply in rural and urban households from 2006 to 2013 and after that, simultaneously with starting the tax law implementation, the trend slightly increased. Discussion and Conclusion: Effective prevention of NCDs and other diseases related to excess consumption of SSBs depends on the proper policies. Based on the findings, it can be suggested that government should choose both health promotion (promoting healthy behavior) and health protection (protecting the population against health dangers) in order to get the best result.

D. Ghodsi, R. Roustaee, A. Faramarzi, N. Omidvar. Price of healthy and un-healthy foods before and after COVID-19 in Iran.

Introduction: Food price has been implicated in promoting healthy or unhealthy food choices, household expenditure, and influencing the diet and health of individuals. COVID-19 induced lock down has disrupted the food markets and commodity prices. This study aims to investigate the changes of the price of healthy and less healthy foods before and after COVID-19 epidemic in Iran.
Methods: Data on household income-expenditure survey (HIES) and Consumer Price Index (CPI) were obtained from the Iranian Statistical Center reports for the period of 2018-2019. The mean annual price of foods and beverages consumed by households were extracted or calculated from the HIES. Foods and beverages were classified to healthy and un-healthy following WHO-EU Nutrient Profiling System and the list of health-threatening foods based on article 37 of the Fifth Development Plan of the Islamic Republic of Iran (2011-2015). The NOVA classification system was also employed to classify foods and beverages into unprocessed/minimally processed, processed and ultra-processed. INFORMAS food price module was used and the prices were reported based on 100 gram of edible portion.
Results: The increase in prices of healthy and unhealthy foods and beverages, and all food groups were seen from 2018 to 2020. The price of healthy foods was less than unhealthy ones. The trend of increasing food prices after COVID-19 was similar for healthier and un-healthy foods. In contrast, with NOVA classification unprocessed or minimally processed foods were the most expensive groups over time followed by processed foods. The trend of increase was similar for unprocessed and ultra-processed foods and healthy and unhealthy foods. Among the unprocessed food groups, per 100 gram edible portion of nuts and all kind of meats were the most expensive groups before and after COVID-19 (153306 vs. 76381 IRR/100gr, and 67498 vs. 36090 IRR/100gr, respectively) and fruits and cereals and grains had the lowest price (7383 vs. 15391 IRR/100gr and 7437 vs. 15646 IRR/100gr, respectively). The percent change in CPI for food and beverage groups (inflation rate of the household) from 2018 to 2020 was 36.6, 42.4, and 38.7, respectively (considering 2016 as reference year).
Discussion and Conclusion: Food prices in Iran have changed unfavorably during the study period. Unfortunately, the price of unhealthy foods is lower than healthier one, which affects the food choice of the households and could affect their health status. Factors related to the pandemic along with other factors such as the high inflation rate and the political condition prevailing in society are effective increasing food prices. Government is trying to keep food prices stable and ensuring food security by orderly pricing, importing and subsidies on some foods.

C. Gréa, S. Roser, S. Storcksdieck, G. Bonsmann, I. Hoffman. Monitoring the nutrient content of processed food – design of the German product monitoring.

Introduction: To follow international efforts to reduce sugar, salt, fat, and energy content in processed food, an overview of the nutrient content of nationally available packaged food is essential. This may be achieved by a regular product monitoring as conducted in Germany. Methods & Results: German product monitoring started in 2016 and 2018 with a market overview on the sugar, salt, fat and energy content of 19 product groups. Since 2019 it is continued as an annual monitoring of selected food groups. This monitoring follows a standard operation procedure, including amongst others: selection criteria of monitored food groups, e.g. frequently consumed food or significant sources in the diet for one or more of the monitored nutrients; regular monitoring interval (2-3 years) for the same food group; collection of data (packaging information) predominantly online; subdivision of food groups according to official guidelines and experts’ consultation; application of criteria to identify processed foods targeting children, separate analyses of their composition. Data management is done with FoodCASE. Data analysis of (sub)food groups considers the wide range of processed food available as well as their market share. Discussion & Conclusion: Product monitoring has proven to be an important instrument to accompany the National Reduction and Innovation Strategy for Sugar, Fats and Salts in Germany. It reveals developments (e.g. sugar reductions in yoghurt) and further need for action (e.g. foods
targeting children).

Ž. Lavriša, N. Zupanič, M. Hribar, K. Žmitek, A. Kušar, I Pravst. Sales and sugar content in non-alcoholic beverages between 2011 and 2019 in Slovenia.

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) remain one of the largest dietary sources of free sugars in Slovenia. They have little to no nutritional value and have been linked to several adverse health effects, such as weight gain, increased risk of type 2 diabetes, and other cardiometabolic diseases. In 2015, Slovenian soft drink industry made a voluntary liability commitment to reduce the amount of sugars in SSBs. The aim of this study was to analyse the trends in free sugar content of SSBs available on the Slovenian market combined with the purchasing trends to further assess the effectiveness of current strategy in practice. Nutrient profiles of 1,468 unique bottled beverages were paired with the nation-wide 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019 volume sales data. Between 2011 and 2019 sales of bottled beverages decreased, with the largest decrease observed among flavoured waters (-57%), ice tea drinks (-49%), and nectars (-44%). The average sugar content in SSBs on the market decreased among energy drinks (from 11.8 g/100 mL to 6.8 g/100 mL), cola drinks (from 8.8 g/100 mL to 6.4 g/100 mL), and ice tea drinks (from 7.1 g/100 mL to 6.7 g/100 mL). Average sugar content in flavoured waters and other soft drinks remained unchanged. Sales-weighted results showed that consumers tend to buy sweeter-than-average products in all analysed categories but flavoured waters, making the current strategy to reduce free sugar consumption of limited efficiency.

C. Leydon, J. Harrington. Policies for tackling obesity and creating healthier food environments in Ireland: Experts’ evaluation and prioritized actions.

Introduction: Effective government policies are essential to increase food environments’ healthiness and reduce obesity and NCDs. Many countries, including Ireland have implemented policy actions to address this priority. Monitoring the degree of implementation of policies and mapping their interaction across the food system is an important part of ensuring progress towards healthier food environments. Methods: This study evaluated the current food environment policies in Ireland using the INFORMAS Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI) framework. Experts rated government implementation against international best practice indicators of food environment policy and infrastructure support. The experts identified and prioritized actions based on the ratings. Results: The Irish government level of implementation compared to best practice was rated as high (13.3%), moderate to low (77.8%), or very little/none (8.9%) across the 45 indicators. Experts recommended that nutrition standards be implemented for all schools, along with establishing a committee to monitor the implementation of nutrition policies and ensure procedural transparency. Discussion: There was high levels of implementation in restricting unhealthy food promotion to children in broadcasting and monitoring obesity and NCD rick-factors. There was very little implementation in the establishment of food composition targets for out-of-home meals or zoning laws to encourage healthy food outlets. Conclusion: For the first time, a benchmarking of Irish food policies against international best practice has been conducted. It has highlighted areas for potential Government action to improve the Irish food environment.

S. O’Mahony, N. Collins, G. Doyle, E.R. Gibney. Investigating the healthiness of supermarkets in Ireland: A pilot study.

Food environments are an important component of an individual’s food choice and access to healthy foods.(1) Supermarkets are a major actor in the local food system with the amount of food purchased from supermarkets increasing.(2,3) There is also growing evidence that supermarkets influence dietary behaviours.(4) The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the availability of healthy and unhealthy food in supermarkets in areas of high and low deprivation in Dublin, Ireland. The INFORMAS Food Retail Module: Food Availability in Supermarkets Protocol was applied in a supermarket in an area high and an area of low deprivation in Dublin, Ireland, in May 2021. Shelf height (cm) and length (cm) were measured for seven food categories.(5) Shelf space for healthy and unhealthy food categories, as defined by the protocol, was weighted based on shelf location prominence (e.g. end of aisle, at checkout) using the GoPromo weightings.(6) The ratio of available healthy to unhealthy food was calculated. The pilot study found four times more unhealthy food to healthy food (unhealthy:healthy – 4:1) available in areas of low deprivation and nine times more unhealthy food to healthy food (unhealthy:healthy – 9:1) available in areas of high deprivation. In comparison there was more than double the ratio (9:1 v 4:1) of unhealthy to healthy foods in areas of high deprivation compared to areas of low deprivation. The pilot study findings indicate that there is substantially more unhealthy food available in supermarkets in areas of high deprivation in Dublin, Ireland. This finding warrants further investigation.

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6. Kerr J, Sallis JF, Bromby E, Glanz K. Assessing reliability and validity of the GroPromo audit tool for evaluation of grocery store marketing and promotional environments. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2012;44(6):597-603.

L. O’Meara, C. Turner, D. Costa Coitinho, S. Oenema. Investigating consumer experiences of food environments and food acquisition practices during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This study investigates consumer experiences of food environments and food acquisition practices during the Covid-19 pandemic, drawing from a rapid online survey of 2,015 individuals from 119 countries in April 2020. Findings reveal common global experiences related to food availability and accessibility, food prices and affordability, food acquisition practices, and food preparation and consumption. The importance of community food participation, food sharing, and resource allocation are highlighted, along with increasing awareness of healthy diets and food waste. We identify ten synergistic policy entry points to: 1) build resilient and equitable food environments resistant to stresses and shocks; 2) harness positive dietary-related behaviors manifested during the pandemic; and, 3) mitigate the projected nutrition crisis and promote sustainable healthy diets for all.

E. Pineda, F. Sassi, J. Bascunan. Effectiveness of school food environment interventions for the prevention of childhood obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: The food environment has a significant influence on dietary choices, and interventions designed to modify the food environment could contribute to the prevention of childhood obesity. Many interventions have been implemented at the school level, but effectiveness in addressing childhood obesity remains unclear. Methods: We undertook a systematic review, a meta-analysis, and meta-regression analyses to assess the effectiveness of interventions on the food environment within and around schools to improve dietary intake and prevent childhood obesity. Estimates were pooled in a random-effects meta-analysis with stratification by anthropometric or dietary intake outcome. Risk of bias was formally assessed. Results & Discussion: One hundred papers were included. Interventions had a significant and meaningful effect on adiposity (body mass index [BMI] z score, standard mean difference: −0.12, 95% confidence interval: 0.15, 0.10) and fruit consumption (portions per day, standard mean difference: +0.19, 95% confidence interval: 0.16, 0.22) but not on vegetable intake. Risk of bias assessment indicated that n = 43 (81%) of non-randomized controlled studies presented a high risk of bias in the study design by not accounting for a control. Attrition bias (n = 34, 79%) and low protection of potential contamination (n = 41, 95%) presented the highest risk of bias for randomized controlled trials. Conclusions: Changes in the school food environment could improve children’s dietary behaviour and BMI, but policy actions are needed to improve surrounding school food environments to sustain healthy dietary intake and BMI.

S. Reza Sobhani, H. Eini-Zinab. Higher consumption of vegetables, fruits and dairy in the Iranian diet is a necessity to move towards a sustainable diet.

Introduction: Sustainable diets are those diets with low environmental impacts and high affordability which contribute to food and nutrition security. The present study aimed to compare the usual diet of the Iranian population with a developed sustainable food basket for Iran.
Methods: The food consumption data of 100500 households were used in this study. Linear Programming was utilized to obtain the optimal diets, separately, for each goal of the sustainable food basket including Nutrient Rich Food Index, minimum cost, minimum water footprint, and carbon footprint. The sustainable food basket was developed by considering all goals simultaneously by using Goal Programming techniques.
Results: In the sustainable diet, compared to the usual consumption, the amount of the “bread, cereal, rice, and pasta” (34%), “meat, poultry, fish, eggs, legumes, and nuts” (11%), and “fats, oils, sugars, and sweets” (24%) groups were decreased and dairy (34%), fruits (26%) and vegetable (8%) groups and cereals (38%), poultry (45%) and vegetable oil (30%) subgroups were increased. By following developed sustainable food basket, there will be a 14% reduction in the total water footprint, a 14% decrease in the total carbon footprint, a 23% decrease in the cost, and a 7% increase in NRF of diet compared to the usual consumption and it is generally 20% more sustainable. Discussion and conclusion: To achieve sustainable food consumption, policy action in the area of food and nutrition system is required to increase consumption of dairy, fruits, vegetables, and reduction in consumption of bread, rice, meat, eggs, hydrogenated fats, and sugars.

V. Smets, S. Vandevijvere. Changes in retail environments around schools over 12 years and associations with overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in Flanders, Belgium.

Introduction: Food environments influence food preferences and choices. Children have been found to be extra susceptible to the food environment. This research assessed changes in food environments near schools in Flanders between 2008 and 2020 and associations with children’s and adolescents’ weight status. Methods: The food environment within 500m and 100m road network distance to all primary- and secondary schools, as well as near university campuses was mapped using several spatial indicators. A generalized linear modelling approach was used to explore associations between these indicators and weight status of children and adolescents. Results: The food environment near schools was found to be predominantly unhealthy, with a significant increase in fast-food restaurants and convenience stores between 2008 and 2020. Food environments near schools with a higher compared to a lower percentage of students from a poor socio-economic background were less healthy, regardless of the level of urbanization. A positive correlation was found between the healthiness of food environments around primary schools and the weight status of children aged 3- 5 and aged 6-12 years. The relationship between the healthiness of food environments and the weight status of adolescents, aged 13 -18 years, was less clear. Conclusion: This research shows that the healthiness of food environments around schools is associated with younger children’s weight status. The Flemish Government therefor has a responsibility to design policies to create healthy food environments near schools to protect children’s health.

B. Thorisdottir, P.O. Eythorsdottir, D.D. Vigfusson, B.E. Birgisdottir. Food environment in Reykjavik supermarkets in Autumn of 2021.

Introduction: Supermarkets present opportunities for public health interventions. The aim of the study was to evaluate the availability of healthy and unhealthy foods in-store in the largest supermarket chains in Reykjavik capital area, Iceland. Methods: Supermarkets from four chains; A (n=3), B (n=3), C (n=3) and D (n=3) were assessed using the relevant Informas protocol with some adaptations. Measures on selected healthy foods (fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables) and selected unhealthy foods and beverages (confectionary, chips, soft drinks, sweet biscuits) were conducted from August 18th to September 16th, 2021. Measures included: (i) proportion of shelf space (m2) allocated to healthy and unhealthy foods; (ii) visibility by location. Results: For every 10 m2 of shelf space for unhealthy foods, there were on average 4.8 m2 of shelf space for healthy foods, with large variations between chains; On average: chain A=3.2 m2, chain B=2.3 m2, chain C=4.8 m2, chain D=8.9 m2. Differences between stores within chains were small. All stores had unhealthy foods at the checkout area, varying in shelf space; On average: chain A=7.3 m2, chain B=9.4 m2, chain C=9.5 m2, chain D=2.6 m2. Discussion: There are large variations in space given and visibility for healthy and unhealthy foods between supermarkets in Reykjavik capital area. This presents an opportunity for retailers to improve the healthiness of supermarkets towards best practice. The supermarkets’ managers were keen on getting feedback and open to further collaboration. Conclusion: Given the public health importance, governments could make guidelines for health promotion within supermarkets.

I. Van Dam, N. Reimes, S. Vandevijvere. Benchmarking the nutrition-related commitments and practices of major Belgian food companies.

To quantitatively assess the transparency, specificity and comprehensiveness of nutrition-related commitments and practices of the largest Belgian packaged food and non-alcoholic beverage manufacturers (n=19), supermarkets (n=5) and quick-service restaurants (n=7), the ‘Business Impact Assessment on Obesity and population-level nutrition’ (BIA-Obesity) was applied. Nutrition-related commitments and practices were evaluated concerning product formulation, labelling, promotion and accessibility. Public commitments were collected and company representatives given the opportunity to complete the information (2019-2020). To assess practices the following indicators were calculated: median Nutri-Score of portfolios, the proportion of products not-permitted to be marketed to children (WHO Regional Office for Europe nutrient profile model), the proportion of ultra-processed products (NOVA-classification) and the proportion of products displaying Nutri-Score. Supermarket flyers were analysed over a one-year period and quick-service restaurant density around schools was calculated. Correlations between commitments and performance were calculated applying the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. 56% of companies participated. Overall BIA-Obesity scores ranged from 2% to 75% (median=35%) with notable variation across policy domains and food industries. The proportion of portfolios consisting of A and B Nutri-Score ranged from 0% to 100% (median=29%), median portfolios were for 81% (12%-100%) not-permitted to be marketed to children and consisted for 75% (2%-100%) of ultra-processed foods. No significant correlations were observed between commitments and performance. Food industry actions did meet recommended best practices. Performance indicators show large potential for improvement across domains and industries. Government regulation is urgently needed to ensure that company commitments translate into improved practices.

S. Vandevijvere, C. Pedroni, K. De Ridder, K. Castetbon. The cost of diets according to their caloric share of ultra-processed and minimally-processed foods in Belgium.

Introduction: This study estimated the monetary cost of diets with higher and lower caloric shares of ultra-processed food products (UPF) and unprocessed/minimally processed foods (MPF) in Belgium for various sociodemographic groups. Methods: Data from the latest nationally representative Food Consumption Survey (FCS) 2014-2015 (n = 3146; 3-64 years) were used. Dietary data were collected through two nonconsecutive 24-hour recalls (food diaries for children). Average prices for >2000 food items (year 2014) were derived from GfK ConsumerScan panel data and linked with foods consumed in the FCS. Foods eaten were categorized by their extent of processing using the NOVA classification. The average caloric share (percentage of daily energy intake) of UPF and MPF were calculated. The mean diet cost was compared across the UPF and MPF contribution tertiles, using linear regression. Results: UPF contributed between 21.9% (female adults) and 29.9% (young boys), while MPF contributed between 29.5% (male adolescents) and 42.3% (female adults) to the daily dietary cost. The contribution of MPF to the daily dietary cost was significantly higher for individuals with a higher household education level compared to those with a lower household education level (p < 0.01). Adjusted for covariates, the average dietary cost per 2000 kcal was significantly lower for individuals in the highest compared to the lowest tertile for the proportion of daily energy consumed from UPF (EUR -0.37 ± 0.13; p = 0.006), and significantly higher for individuals in the highest compared to the lowest tertile for proportion of daily energy consumed from MPF (EUR 1.18 ± 0.12, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Diets with a larger caloric share of UPF were significantly cheaper than those with a lower contribution of these products, while the opposite was found for MPF. Policies that improve relative affordability and accessibility of MPF are recommended.

B. Wood, G. Sacks, O. Williams, P. Baker, V. Nagarajan. A proposed approach to monitoring the structure, conduct and performance of processed food markets and companies.

Introduction: Processed food markets can have detrimental impacts on societal welfare, including from negative externalities related to unhealthy food sales, the unjust distribution of costs and benefits, and the presence of concentrated market power. We propose a systematic approach to monitoring the structure of processed food markets, the market-related conduct of food companies from a public health perspective, and the contribution of such markets and companies to societal welfare. Methods: The Structure-Conduct-Performance model was used as an organising framework. We reviewed a range of literature to identify relevant concepts and metrics. The approach was applied to the global soft drink market. Results: ‘Structure’ metrics included those related to market concentration and common ownership. ‘Conduct’ analysis was informed by Porter’s five forces framework. ‘Performance’ metrics included those related to wealth generation and distribution. When these metrics were applied to the global soft drink market, we found that most national markets were highly concentrated and oligopolistic. Dominant soft drink manufacturers use a wide range of market strategies to increase and consolidate their power. The majority of wealth generated by these dominant firms flows to wealthy stakeholders in high-income countries. Discussion: The proposed approach could help the public health community better engage with policy discussions on addressing common market failures. In particular, the approach could be used to inform discussions of the role of competition policy in promoting healthier and more environmentally sustainable food systems.

A. Abayasekara, N. Arunatilake. Developing a retail food environment score to assess food environments in Sri Lanka’s urban underserved settlements.

Food environments that promote energy-dense, cheap, and palatable foods have been recognized as a key driver of unhealthy eating, obesity, and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Urbanization-driven rapid changes in food environments in low- and middle-income countries has led to increased policy attention on how food environments shape population diets. But limited research is available in these settings due to the dynamic and complicated nature of food environments, lack of comprehensive data, and the wide range of food sources available. The aim of this study is to develop a food environment assessment tool to assess food retail outlets in selected urban underserved settlements in Sri Lanka, which are characterized by poor access to healthcare and healthy food and high rates of NCD prevalence. Existing methods typically assess food environments across four main indicators: food availability and variety, prices, advertising, and placement, where food environments with high availability, variety, affordability, and promotion of healthy foods are assigned higher rankings. We customize these tools to our study setting, where commonly available food items in retail outlets are ranked by healthiness based on the level of food processing in combination with Sri Lankan dietary guidelines, after which a food environment assessment score is developed around the four indicators. We pay particular attention in using the tool to support the development of fiscal and regulatory policies that can positively influence food environments along the availability, affordability, and food promotion dimensions. The tool is also used to assess how COVID-19 related restrictions have affected food environments.

R. Ambikapathi, M. Boncyk, N.S. Gunaratna, J. Kanani, L. Heniff, W. Fawzi, G. Leyna, J. Killewo, S. Kadiyala, C. Patil. Expanding the food environment framework to include family in the context of living with HIV: a qualitative evidence synthesis.

Rapid changes occurring in the food environments (FE) of low- and middle-income countries are increasing dietary risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). People living with HIV (PLHIV) and their families share these risks, but few studies explore family dynamics and food choices. This qualitative evidence synthesis (Prospero registration: CRD42021226283) assessed family dynamics in the shaping of food choices and how an HIV diagnosis and treatment relate to food acquisition, preparation, allocation, consumption, and other decisions. Keyword searches of Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science identified >6000 non-duplicate relevant qualitative studies. Using Colandr, a team approach for reviewer agreement on title, abstract, and two rounds of full-text screening and the Critical Appraisals Skills Program to assess quality was used. From 6039 titles, 1158 abstracts were screened and 514 continued to full-text review. A total of 108 manuscripts were reviewed, with 93% taking place in Africa and Southeast Asia. Content analysis guided by a codebook informed by Turner’s FE framework and Gidden’s structuration theory was used to identify family FE themes. Disclosure, gender differences, social network, nutrition knowledge, caregiver burden, perceived significance of food, dyadic marital relationship, and family composition were organized in a matrix linking the external and personal FEs. Including family dynamics in existing FE frameworks provides an opportunity for a robust understanding of motivations behind food choices for PLHIV and their families given the growing prevalence of NCDs. This framework expansion can help guide the structuring of nutritional policies that are effective and optimal for the whole family.

E. Borazon, M. de los Santos. Content analysis of TV food advertisements targeted to children in the Philippines.

Exposure to TV food advertisements is considered as a potential factor influencing dietary and food consumption behavior among children. However, there are no policies regulating child-targeted TV food advertisements in the Philippines. Furthermore, there is limited literature which explores the influence of TV food advertisements on the dietary health of Filipino children in which overweight and obesity are prevalent. Therefore, this study conducted an exploratory content analysis of TV food advertisements aired in most popular channels for Filipino children aged 2 to 12 (GMA, GNTV, and TV5). Data were collected from January to April 2021 through manual recording and aired advertisements were monitored using a categorical sampling design. The level of exposure of children to TV food marketing will be assessed using the frequency of which child-targeted TV food advertisements were aired. TV food marketing practices of food brands will also be evaluated based on the persuasive techniques, representations, and portrayals observed in the advertisements. The results of this study will characterize TV food advertisements in the Philippines and identify elements of child-targeted TV food marketing that influence Filipino children’s dietary behavior. Finally, the study shall provide policy recommendations which will help implement and promote responsible TV food marketing to children in the Philippines.

A. Ganpule-Rao, K.A. Brown, M. Dubey, N. Srinivasapura Venkateshmurthy, H. Pandey, P. Jarhyan, A. Prasad Maddury, R. Khatkar, D. Prabhakaran, S. Mohan. (1) Food insecurity, dietary diversity and malnutrition in North and South India / (2) Comparison of diets in North and South India with EAT Lancet diet.

(1) Introduction: Food security is a major priority for developing countries like India. However, very few studies have used standardized methods like Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) to measure it. We used FIES to measure food security and its association with nutritional and sociodemographic factors. Methods: We used FIES to measure food security in a sample of 9005 adults residing in North and South India. Socio-demographic factors, dietary diversity(IDDS-FAO) based on food frequency questionnaire, anthropometry was assessed. Results: The mean(±SD) age was 52.2(±11.6) years, 50% were women and 60% resided in rural areas. Mean FIES score was 0.21±0.76 and 6.3% (95%CI: 5.8-7.0) participants reported experience of mild, 2.2%(1.9-2.5) moderate and 1.5%(1.3-1.8), p <0.05) severe food insecurity. Dietary diversity was low as >50% participants from Sonipat and 40% from Vizag consumed only three food groups daily i.e., starchy staples, other fruits- vegetables and dairy. Consumption of nutrient rich foods like vitamin-A-C-rich fruits, vegetables and nonvegetarian foods was low. Overall, 812(9.2%) were underweight/undernourished (BMI<18.5kg/m2) and 3877(44.4%) were overweight/obese (BMI>24.9kg/m2). Women experienced higher food insecurity than men ((10.3%(9.4-11.1) Vs 9.1%(8.1-9.9), p<0.001)). In the multiple regression analysis women, those belonging to lower wealth index, residing in rural areas, and those with lower BMI and lower dietary diversity had higher food insecurity (p<0.05 for all). Conclusions: Food security is under-investigated in India. Despite low levels of food insecurity, dietary diversity was sub-optimal and malnutrition was prevalent, especially among women. Similar studies at national level are necessary to better understand food insecurity in India and plan policy actions.

(2) Background: A sustainable and healthy food system is vital for human and environmental health. The 2019 EAT-Lancet Commission report recommends diets with more plant-based and fewer animal source foods to ensure that the world’s resources can provide sufficient healthy and sustainable foods to feed 10 billion people by 2050. The aim of this study was to compare current diets in different parts of India with the EAT-Lancet recommended diet. Methods: Dietary intakes were measured using a food frequency questionnaire (24 groups) among 9,005 participants from Sonipat (north India) and Visakhapatnam (south India) during the UDAY follow up study Results: Mean age of the participants was 52.4±11.7 years, 50% were women and resided in rural areas. Compared with the Eat-Lancet diet, participants had significantly lower consumption of nutrient-rich foods from good quality protein sources and vegetables although they had higher consumption of whole grains and starchy foods (p<0.05All). These dietary gaps were higher for the rural and poorest households (p<0.001Both). Of the high carbon foot print foods, red meat and nonvegetarian foods (meat, fish, poultry) were less frequently consumed in Visakhapatnam, and over 80% participants in Sonipat were vegetarian; however, dairy foods were consumed adequately. Fruit consumption was comparable to EAT- Lancet recommendations. Conclusions: Participants’ diets lacked quality. Increasing consumption of protein sources and vegetables through public interventions and initiating policy actions for making these foods available, affordable and acceptable for all is essential. Adaptability of Eat Lancet recommendations needs to be studied in context of diverse Indian consumption patterns.

G. Hafeeza Begum Abdul Rahim, T. Thoradeniya, C. Arambepola. The health relatedness of labelling of foods and non-alcoholic beverages in a main supermarket in Sri Lanka.

Introduction: Unhealthy food consumption contributes to increasing obesity and non-communicable diseases. Ready to consume processed foods and non-alcoholic beverages (FNB) are energy-dense and nutrient-poor, thus play an important role in this regard. This study was carried out to assess the health relatedness of labelling of FNB commonly sold in Sri Lanka. Methods: Labels of FNB purchased (n = 149) from a selected outlet of a leading supermarket chain were photographed. Health-related information on labels were analyzed using INFORMAS protocol. Products were categorized as ‘less healthy’ and ‘healthy’ using Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion of Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Results: Overall, 8.7% products were ‘healthy’ and 17.4% were ‘less healthy’, while 73.8% had incomplete nutrition information. Sixty five percent of products with ingredient list and nutrition information panel, 19.5% with multiple nutrition information panel and 36.2% with supplementary nutrition information were identified. Out of 500 total claims, 223 were priority nutrients and NCD related health conditions. ‘Healthy’ products displayed 8 out of 30 NCD related health claims as ineligible. Discussion and Conclusion: More ‘less healthy’ than ‘healthy’ products were among the commonly sold FNB. Healthiness of majority of products could not be assessed due to incomplete nutritional information. Quantitative ingredient list, multiple nutrition information panel, supplementary nutrition information and nutrition and health claims were poorly displayed. Our findings highlight the importance of monitoring food labelling in order to help consumers make healthier choices.

J.C.Y. Louie, L.Y. Chan, D.H. Coyle, J.H.Y. Yu. Total and free sugars level and the main types of sugars used in 18,784 local and imported pre-packaged foods and beverages sold in Hong Kong.

Introduction: There is limited information regarding the free sugar content of pre-packaged foods in Hong Kong. This study aims to assess the free sugar content and identify the most frequently used free sugar ingredients (FSI) in pre-packaged foods in Hong Kong. Methods: Data of 18,784 products from the 2019 FoodSwitch Hong Kong database were used in this analysis. Ingredient lists were screened to identify FSI. Total sugar content was derived from nutrition labels on pack. Free sugar content was estimated based on adaptation of a previously established systematic methodology. Descriptive statistics of the total sugar and free sugar content, as well as the mean ± SD contribution of free sugar to total sugar of the audited products were calculated, stratified by food groups. Results: Almost two-thirds (64.5%) of the pre-packaged foods contained at least one FSI. ‘Sugar (sucrose)’ was the most popular FSI that was found in more than half (54.7%) of the products. ‘Fruit and vegetable juices’ (median 10.0; IQR 8.3-11.5 g/100 mL) were found to have a higher median free sugar content than ‘Soft drinks’ (8.0; 6.0-10.6 g/100 mL). Mean ± SD contribution of free sugar to the total sugar content was 65.8 ± 43.4%, with 10 8 out of 16 14 food groups having >70% total sugar as free sugar. Discussion/Conclusion: Free sugar, especially sucrose, was extensively used in a wide variety of pre-packaged products sold in Hong Kong. Further studies are needed to assess the population intake of free sugar in Hong Kong to inform public health policy on free sugar reduction.

J.C.Y. Louie, T. Davies, R. Ndanuko, S. Barbieri, O. Perez-Concha, J.H.Y. Yu. A machine learning approach to predict the added sugar content of packaged foods.

Introduction: Dietary guidelines recommend limiting the intake of added sugars. However, despite the public health importance, most countries have not mandated the labeling of added sugar content on packaged foods and beverages, making it difficult for consumers to avoid products with added sugar, and limiting the ability of policymakers to identify priority products for intervention. This study aimed to develop a machine learning approach for the prediction of added sugar content in packaged products using available nutrient, ingredient, and food category information. Methods: The added sugar prediction algorithm was developed using k-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) and packaged food information from the US Label Insight dataset (n = 70,522). A synthetic dataset of Australian packaged products (n = 500) was used to assess validity and generalization. Performance metrics included the coefficient of determination (R2), mean absolute error (MAE), and Spearman rank correlation (ρ). To benchmark the KNN approach, the KNN approach was compared to an existing added sugar prediction approach that relies on a series of manual steps. Results: Compared to the existing added sugar prediction approach, the KNN approach was similarly apt at explaining variation in added sugar content (R2 = 0.96 vs. 0.97 respectively) and ranking products from highest to lowest in added sugar content (ρ = 0.91 vs. 0.93 respectively), while less apt at minimizing absolute deviations between predicted and true values (MAE = 1.68 g vs. 1.26 g per 100 g or 100 mL respectively). Discussion and Conclusions: KNN can be used to predict added sugar content in packaged products with a high degree of validity. Being automated, KNN can easily be applied to large datasets. Such predicted added sugar levels can be used to monitor the food supply and inform interventions aimed at reducing added sugar intake.

W. Ng See Hoe, G. Sacks, B. Kelly, H. Yeatman, E. Robinson, B. Swinburn, S. Vandevijvere, K. Chinna, M.N. Ismail, T. Karupaiah. Reflections on applying the BIA-Obesity tool to assess population nutrition commitments of food industry in Malaysia.

The food industry has a critical role in shaping population diets. Benchmarking the nutrition-related policies and commitments of major food companies can assist in understanding the effectiveness of the regulatory landscape and increasing accountability for action. This study aimed to reflect on the process of assessing the policies and commitments of major food companies in Malaysia using the Business Impact Assessment-Obesity (BIA-Obesity) tool developed by INFORMAS with local modifications. We assessed 22 food and beverage manufacturers, 5 fast food companies and 6 retailers. Only 6 companies (18%) agreed to engage in the assessment process. For the remaining companies, evidence was gathered through document analysis and product surveys, with the latter complementing the lack of online policy information (e.g. nutrition labelling). For the first time, we involved a panel of public health experts in scoring companies using the BIA-obesity tool. This was designed to increase confidence in the final results. We found limited company commitments to population nutrition, with most companies lacking comprehensive, specific and transparent information regarding product reformulation, labelling and promotion. Findings were disseminated first to all industry stakeholders (n=18 companies represented), and then via a public forum (over 40 attendees) to government, non-government organisations, academia and media representatives. Positive feedback received included considering implementation for some recommendations (industry) and strengthening industry engagement to support healthy population diets (government). The study confirmed the applicability and feasibility of implementing the BIA-Obesity tool and process in Malaysia, which could serve to guide similar assessments in other low- and middle-income settings.

R. Ong Gild, W. Ng See Hoe, S. Mohd Jamil, S. Mackay, B. Kelly, B. Swinburn, T. Karupaiah. What’s advertised on children’s popular television channels during the Covid-19 period? Nutritional characteristics of food and non-alcoholic beverages in Malaysia.

With prolonged lockdowns during the Covid-19 period, Malaysians spent more hours viewing television daily. As food advertising is self-regulated in Malaysia, its effectiveness to control unhealthy food advertising to children is uncertain, with increased exposure potentially influencing food choice behaviours. Thus, we aimed to assess the nutritional characteristics of advertised food and beverages targeting children during the pandemic period. Using the INFORMAS television food marketing protocol (recording 18 hours/day x 3 channels), children’s popular channels based on Nielsen television audience viewership aged <18 years were recorded in 2020. Products’ nutrient and ingredient information were retrieved from market survey and online search to determine nutritional quality. Content analysis was performed using WHO Western Pacific (WPRO) and Southeast Asia (SEARO) nutrient profiling models, with specific thresholds for energy, fat, saturated fat, trans-fat, total sugars, added sugars, non-sugar sweetener and sodium. Coding verification with other researchers ensured data accuracy. Preliminary analysis revealed that most advertised foods and beverages were categorised as ‘not permitted’ to be advertised to children, such as sugar-sweetened beverages, sweet bakery products and convenience or prepared foods. Excessive sodium content, presence of added sugar (e.g. sucrose, lactose, maltodextrin) and non-sugar sweeteners (e.g. stevia) were common issues associated with non-permitted products. Even though food marketing self-regulations have been implemented in Malaysia, unhealthy television food advertising remains prevalent in children’s popular television channels during the pandemic. These findings should inform policymakers on the urgent need to adopt a mandatory approach to protect harmful impacts of food marketing targeting children.

T. Scapin, D. Riesenberg, K. Correa, R. Kupka, F. Watson, G. Sacks, A.J. Cameron. Monitoring retail food environments in Asia and the Pacific.

Introduction: Economic development and demographic changes in the Asia and Pacific region have resulted in rapid transitions of local food systems. The overall aim of this study is to conduct a landscape analysis of retail food environments in the Asia and Pacific region, including how they impact purchasing behaviour of both parents and children. Methods: The four project phases, being developed in partnership with UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office, include: (1) an assessment of the overall food retail market using business databases; (2) a literature review to identify retail food environment structure, in-store and online marketing, and presence of local regulations; (3) an assessment of sociocultural determinants of food purchasing behaviours by exploring key-informant perspectives; and (4) discussion panels with stakeholders. Results: We report on the first two phases of this project here. Leading food retail companies, number of outlets and market share were identified for 22 countries in the region. Rapid changes over time were identified, with a rise in the number of supermarkets, hypermarkets and convenience stores, coupled with increasing online food retail. Little evidence characterising retail food environments in the region is available. A small number of policies to promote healthy food retail have been implemented. Discussion and conclusion: This project is an important basis for understanding key aspects of retail food environments in the Asia and Pacific region and what can be done to improve the healthiness of those spaces, for children in particular. Findings can be used to support advocacy and improved policies.

D. Sunimalee Pramuditha Madurawala. Political economy of fiscal policies and regulations to promote healthy diets in Sri Lanka.

Unhealthy dietary patterns are one of the leading contributing factors of escalating non-communicable disease (NCD) incidences in Sri Lanka. Economic as well as political factors contribute to creating unhealthy food habits. This ongoing study aims at examining the political economy setting of selected two fiscal and regulatory interventions and the country’s food environment. The theoretical framework of the study is based on Kingdon’s theory of agenda-setting and Campbell’s institutionalist approach. Policy development (agenda-setting) and policy implementation stages are considered in framing the research questions. The study takes a qualitative approach, and the data sources are in two forms: documents and people. The findings of the documentary sources suggest that NCDs, nutrition, and food environment have been duly recognized as important policy issues and framed well in policy documents produced by the institutes that come under the health sector. Yet many of those policy documents have not devoted adequate attention to some crucial elements of a public health policy such as funding sources and governance. In many incidents, there is no clear commitment to implement fiscal measures. In terms of institutions, the Ministry of Health plays a crucial role in developing policies to promote healthy diets in Sri Lanka. These findings highlight the need of taking a more holistic and cohesive approach in developing the policies, which aim to address the NCDs challenge and promote healthy dietary patterns in Sri Lanka.

M. Tatlow-Golden, G. Cumbers, G. Belardo, A. Nkoroi, F. Watson, E. Boyland. Unhealthy social media food marketing to children: emerging findings from the Philippines.

Introduction: Food marketing is a systemic factor that influences children’s health, by shaping preferences, purchases and eating, including in countries experiencing nutrition transition such as the Philippines. Food marketers actively promote brands and products on social media, yet few systematic analyses exist of social media food marketing in Asia. Methods: WHO Protocols for analysing digital food marketing to children were applied. Retail sales, fast food visits and social media ‘reach’ among children were triangulated to identify 20 food brands. Posts (n=1035) were extracted from brand-owned pages on children’s most popular platforms: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube. Posts were analysed to specify: (a) is this ‘permitted’ for marketing to children, per the WHO Western Pacific Region Nutrient Profiling Model?; (b) what are the marketing strategies used, and do posts appeal to children? Results: Of 1035 social media food marketing posts analysed, 99% were ‘not permitted’ for marketing to children; 72% identified as appealing to younger children, 84% to adolescents. A fifth featured Filipino sporting and media celebrities, including children. Brands promoted products as Fun; Tasty; Enjoyable; Healthy and nutritious; Promoting family love; Making celebrations special; and Supporting physical activity. Discussion/Conclusion: Social media brand marketing in the Philippines appeals to children but overwhelmingly features items ‘not permitted’ for marketing to children. This is likely to contribute to unhealthy diets in childhood and beyond. UNICEF recommends the Government of the Philippines enact, monitor, and enforce legal, comprehensive regulations to restrict such marketing. Funding and Acknowledgment: This study was commissioned by The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Philippines Office, as part of its commitment to address problems of unhealthy diets and increasing rates of overweight and obesity amongst children. Data extracted and analysed with support of Integrative Competitive Intelligence. Technical contributions by Maria Evelyn Carpio (UNICEF Philippines Country Office) and Roland Kupka (UNICEF East Asia & Pacific Regional Office).

C. Whitton, Y.H. Min Wong, J. Lau, C. Xin Hui, A.M. Müller, T.C. Seng, R.M. van Dam, F. Müller-Riemenschneider, S.A. Rebello. Ecological momentary assessment of digital food marketing exposure in young adults: a feasibility study.

Background: Unhealthy food marketing is a likely driver of the obesity epidemic. Digital marketing forms an increasing proportion of advertising budgets, but measuring exposure to digital food marketing presents novel challenges. Thus, methods to measure population exposure are required, to enable policymakers to formulate suitable regulatory mechanisms. Objective: Evaluate the feasibility of a smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methodology for quantifying exposure to digital food marketing messages. Methods: Singapore residents (18-40y) were asked to upload screenshots of all sightings of online food marketing messages for seven days. Food intake and number of hours spent online were captured three times daily using behavioural surveys. Using Poisson Generalized Estimating Equations, we assessed whether study day, time, day of the week, and behavioural survey completion predicted the number of uploads provided. Results: Participants (n=95) provided a total of 1,310 uploads over the study period, 27% of which were provided on Day 1, significantly more than on other days (P<0.001). Participants completed 90% (IQR 85-95%) of behavioural surveys, with no differences in completion by study day (P=0.6). Uploads were more likely to occur in the evening (RR 1.42, 95%CI 1.11-1.82) vs. morning, and if the behavioural surveys were completed (RR 1.9, 95%CI 1.3-2.8), suggesting these surveys may have prompted screenshot uploads. Conclusions: Insights into population exposure to digital food marketing may be gathered using EMA in large-scale studies. Future studies would benefit from a short study period, and strategies to improve response rate, such as reminders.

L. Xiang, N. Lei, Y. Tang, J Cui, J. Zhang. The extent and nature of unhealthy food and beverage television advertising to children and adolescents in Beijing, China.

Objective: To comprehensively assess the extent and nature of food and beverage television advertising (F&B ads) to which children and adolescents aged 3 to18 years old are likely exposed in Beijing, China. Methods: Four weekdays and four weekend days were randomly selected over the period from October 2020 to January 2021, excluding public holidays and school holiday periods. TV ads on five most popular channels to children and adolescents were recorded 24 hours a day, for a total of 960 hours. Peak viewing time was defined as the top five-hour timeslot for children and adolescents. F&B ads were coded as per INFORMAS Food Promotion module. Results: Of the 15447 ads coded, 36.2% were F&B ads, among which 46.49% were non-permitted to market to children and adolescents according to WHO-WPRO Nutrient Profile model. The most frequently advertised F&B categories were milk drinks (12.78%), seconded by savoury snacks (11.97%) and cheese (8.48%). The most frequently used persuasive power in non-permitted F&B ads was brand benefit claims(92.70%), followed by promotional characters technique(72.50%), and the least was premium(3.5%). Non-permitted F&B ads were more likely to use brand benefit claims and premium than permitted F&B ads(P<0.05). 28.60% of non-permitted F&B ads were shown during peak viewing time. Conclusions: Chinese children and adolescents may be at a high risk of exposure to unhealthy TV F&B ads. Our findings help justify the need for regulatory actions by national authorities.

 

Akosua Pokua Adjei, G Amevinya, W Quarpong, A Tandoh, R Aryeetey, M Holdsworth, C Agyemang, F Zotor, ME Laar, K Mensah, P Addo, D Laryea, G Asiki, D Sellen, S Vandevijvere, A Laar. How healthy are our supermarkets? Availability of healthy and discretionary ultra-processed foods in supermarkets of selected districts of Greater Accra region, Ghana.

Introduction: Availability of unhealthy foods can influence preference, choice, purchasing, and consumption of foods linked to the development of NCDs. This study determined the healthiness of foods sold at supermarkets located in six in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Methods: A multistage sampling approach was used to select the districts. All supermarkets located in the six districts were eligible to participate in the study. The shelf length and breadth for all food products in-store were measured. Foods were grouped using NOVA and according to the nutrient and energy-density (energy dense if >225 kcal/100g). Descriptive analysis was performed to generate total areas occupied by the various food groups and the ratio of healthy to unhealthy foods. Results: 85% of the shelf length occupied by food in all the supermarkets was allotted to unhealthy food categories. Fresh fruits and vegetables occupied only 1.2% of the total shelf area occupied by food. 68% of food products were classified as ultra-processed foods. For every 1m² of shelf area for a healthy food, there is 6m² of shelf area for an unhealthy food. Discussion: The rise of supermarkets in Ghana, although offering access to a range of healthy options is making ultra-processed and other obesogenic foods more accessible. Conclusion: This study reveals widespread availability of unhealthy/ ultra-processed foods in supermarkets found within the selected districts.

Gideon Senyo Amevinya, W Quarpong, A Tandoh, R Aryeetey, S Vandevijvere, C Agyemang, M Holdsworth, F Zotor, ME Laar, K Mensah, P Addo, D Laryea, G Asiki, D Sellen, B Kelly, A Laar. Heavy marketing of energy-dense nutrient-poor foods around public basic schools in Greater Accra region, Ghana.

Introduction: The marketing of energy-dense nutrient-poor foods is common in obesogenic food environments, and can influence food choices. We examined the extent and nature of marketing of foods, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages around selected schools in Ghana’s most urbanized region – Greater Accra. Methods: Basic schools (n =200) were selected using a multi-stage sampling approach from six districts (n=6) of the Greater Accra region. This study cross-sectionally assessed outdoor advertising using the INFORMAS Outdoor Advertising Protocol. For each food advertisement, a pre-designed tool was used to collect information– including setting, type, size of advertisement, and promotional techniques used. All advertised food products were classified and assigned to three major groups: core/healthy foods, non-core/unhealthy foods and miscellaneous based on the INFORMAS food classification. Results: A total of 5,887 advertisements were identified; 42% of these advertisements were for food. Majority (48.7%) of the food advertisements were small (>A4 paper but <1.3m x 1.9m). Advertisements were prevalent at food outlets (77.9%). Overall, 70.2% of food advertisements were classified as unhealthy, 11.5% as healthy, and 14.3% as miscellaneous. Sugar-sweetened beverages (34.5%) was the most frequently promoted food product. Promotional characters were included within 13.5% (334/2469) of all food advertisements. About 8% of all food advertisements (184/2469) had premium offers. Conclusions: There is an abundance of unhealthy food advertisements around public basic schools in Greater Accra Region. Policies and actions are needed to protect pupils from such marketing practices.

Geoffrey Adebayo Asalu, W Axame, CB Letsa, A Laar, R Aryeetey. Perception and use of health-related label among households in Accra.

Background: The extant literature on consumer food labelling use in Ghana showed limited data on health-related information use (HIU) aspects of labels. Objective: Therefore, this study investigated the perception and use of health-related information on pre-packaged foods among households in Accra. Methods: A structured questionnaire assessed consumers’ (510 respondents) food label use, perceptions, understanding of health-related label information (Nutrition Facts label, food claims, ingredient lists and serving sizes) and socio-demographic variables. STATA (v.16) was used for data analysis. Results Majority of respondents perceived that health-related information on pre-packaged food products were truthful and accurate. However, approximately one-third of them use food labels in their purchase decisions. Perceived inability, shopping behavior and absence of need were reasons for non-label use. Label users consult labels mainly to ascertain product safety and less of nutrition and health reasons. In a multiple linear regression analyses the following variables: levels of education, individuals with food allergies, those who had a previous education on the use of labels, those who perceived labels are easy to understand and individuals who self-reported adequate food label understanding showed positive association with HIU. Conclusions. Though consumers had a positive perception of health-related label information usage was low. This suggests most consumers lack adequate understanding of health-related label information. Efforts towards promoting consumer use of labels are recommended.

Semira Abdelmenan Awel, HY Berhane, M Jirström, J Trenholm, A Worku, E-C Ekström, Y Berhane. The social stratification of availability, affordability, and consumption of food in families with preschoolers in Addis Ababa; the EAT Addis Study in Ethiopia.

The aim of this study was to understand the quality of diet being consumed among families in Addis Ababa, and to what extent social stratification and perceptions of availability and affordability affect healthy food consumption. Data was collected from 5467 households in a face-to-face interview with mothers/caretakers and analyzed using mixed effect logistic regression models. All family food groups, except fish were perceived to be available by more than 90% of the participants. The food groups cereals/nuts/seeds, other vegetables, and legumes were considered highly affordable (80%) and were the most consumed (>75%). Households with the least educated mothers and those in the lowest wealth quintile had the lowest perception of affordability and also consumption. Consumption of foods rich in micronutrient and animal sources were significantly higher among households with higher perceived affordability, the highest wealth quintile, and with mothers who had better education. Households in Addis Ababa were generally seen to have a monotonous diet, despite the high perceived availability of different food groups within the food environment. There is a considerable difference in consumption of nutrient-rich foods across social strata, hence the cities food policies need to account for social differences in order to improve the nutritional status of the community.

Daniel Opoku Mensah, F O Mintah; A Oteng; R Aryeetey; R Lillywhite; O Oyebode. Presented by Michael Batame. Emerging adults’ attitudes and perceptions towards ultra-processed foods, fruit and vegetable consumption in a Ghanaian university foodscape.

Background: Understanding the influences that shape food behaviours among emerging adults and their attitudes and perceptions is an essential precondition for food behaviour modification interventions. But there exists limited research on these themes among emerging adults in the SSA setting. Objectives & Methods: This study examined emerging adults’ knowledge and attitudes towards ultra-processed foods (UPFs), fruit and/or vegetable and the influences shaping their consumption among university students in urban Ghana. The study used focus group discussions in combination with dyadic interviews with best friend pairs. Verbatim transcripts were analysed thematically using NVivo 12. Results: Emerging adults have to negotiate a complex set of barriers and opportunities operating at different levels to decide to eat UPFs, fruit or vegetable. While the influence of peers, training from home, and significant others, and body image ideals encouraged some students to consume fruit and vegetable (FV), issues of affordability, availability, nutrition knowledge, perceptions and misconceptions did not favour FV consumption, as did value satiety, local and wider societal food norms. However, affordability/price, availability and preference for satiety exerted more influence on this emerging adult group in favour of cheap, energy dense foods and UPFs, as did perceptions and misconceptions. Conclusion: Emerging adults need support to make healthy food choice. Although food pricing interventions that subsidise healthy foods, especially FV may reduce some access barriers to healthy food in this emerging adult group, multi-component interventions that combine such structural level and individual level components may be more effective. But this requires research.

Hannah Y. Berhane, AW Tadesse, A Noor, S Shinde, A Worku, W Fawzi. Food environment around schools and adolescent consumption of unhealthy foods in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Background: Recent studies have highlighted the importance of school food environments in shaping the diets of adolescents and its potential to address the growing concern of adolescent obesity. This study aimed to understand the school food environment and drivers for adolescents’ consumption of unhealthy foods in an urban low-income setting in Ethiopia. Methods: A mixed-methods approach was used, including a school-based survey among 1200 adolescents (10-14 years) from 20 randomly selected government schools across Addis Ababa. In each school, we profiled all vendors within a 5-minute walking radius acquiring information on the number and type of vendors along with the product type. Focus group discussions (FGDs) with adolescent groups each comprising 3 boys and 3 girls were conducted. Mixed-effect logistic regression investigated the relationship between the number of vendors around the schools and consumption of selected unhealthy food (deep-fried food and sugar-sweetened beverages). Thematic analysis was used to summarize findings from the FGDs. Results: We found that 78.6% and 54.3% of the adolescents consumed sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages(S-SSB) and deep-fried foods(DFF) at least once a week respectively. Consumption of both DFF and S-SSB was not associated with the number of vendors available around the school. However, adolescents’ awareness and perception of healthy and safe food, and financial limitations were reported to influence consumption during the FGDs. Conclusions: Reported unhealthy food consumption is high among adolescents in Addis Ababa. School-based interventions to promote access and healthy food choices among adolescents are recommended.

Ortutu Beulah, PO Ukegbu, PC Nwamadi, A Ojwang. DIETARY PATTERNS AND SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF COMMUNITY-DWELLING ADULTS IN NIGERIA.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Identifying dietary patterns (DPs) as a means of preventing diet-related chronic diseases among populations in low- and middle-income countries undergoing nutrition transition is important. Dietary pattern analysis using empirically derived data are useful for this purpose. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among 868 adults (20 to 59 years) in Abia State, Nigeria. DPs were identified by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) based on the consumption of 10 food groups, assessed using a 7-day qualitative food frequency questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between identified patterns and associated factors. RESULT: Two main DPs were identified; a traditional pattern characterized by high factor loading of starchy staples, vegetable soups/sauces, animal proteins, legumes and a mix of processed cereals and grains; and a convenience pattern with high factor loading for processed cereals, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. High adherence to the traditional pattern was lower among larger households (>3) [AOR =0.633; 95% CI (0.429-0.934); p = 0.021]. On the other hand, high adherence to the convenience pattern was more common among females [AOR =1.586; 95% CI (1.104-2.279); p = 0.013] and older adults (AOR = 1.750; 95% CI (1.075-2.848); p = 0.024], but least common among rural participants [AOR =0.316 1.586; 95% CI (0.219-0.456); p = 0.000]. CONCLUSION: The two DPs; traditional and convenience were associated with socio-demographic variables (age, gender, household size and place of residence). This study provides valuable information for the development and maintenance of healthier dietary behavior among adults.

Morgan Boncyk, S Kimenju, R Ambikapathi, CL Patil, H De Groote, W Omondi, NS Gunaratna. Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on food availability, prices, and consumption in rural Kenya: Variations due to agroecological zone, market access, and gender.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted food systems worldwide. We present qualitative research findings on the pandemic’s impact on food environments and consumption in rural Kenya. From an existing sample frame of 121 rural communities, representing Kenya’s major maize production areas, tele-focus group discussions (T-FGDs) were conducted in 12 randomly selected communities, stratified by agroecological zone (AEZ) and distance from a city (>100,000 people, indicating market access). T-FGDs of 3 men or 3 women were conducted in Kiswahili. Emerging themes were grouped by food availability, price, and consumption and stratified by AEZ, market access, and gender. Food environment changes varied by AEZ. Generally, nutritious food became less available and more expensive, and maize consumption increased in the lowlands. High price variability was reported for meat, fruits, and vegetables. Communities farther from markets reported lower availability of fish and higher bean and vegetable prices, while closer communities observed variability in food availability and price, except for maize and milk. Gender differences within the same community existed for food, availability, prices, and consumption. Men reported increased while women reported decreased vegetable consumption. We find localized variations of COVID-19 impacts among villages by AEZ and market access. Gendered differences were observed in the perception of changes and their dietary effects. Changes in food consumption illustrate the pandemic’s impacts, especially reduced nutrient-rich and increased staple food consumption, potentially increasing micronutrient deficiencies. T-FGDs provide quick insights into community experiences and can be used to evaluate future shocks.

Makoma Bopape, L Smith Taillie, T Frank, N Murukutla, T Cotter, L Majija, R Swart. South African consumers’ perceptions of front-of-package warning labels on unhealthy foods and drinks.

Warning labels are recognised as simple, easy to understand front of package food labelling system that effectively assist consumers identify unhealthy products. This labelling system has not yet been tested in South Africa. The aim of this study was to explore adult South African consumers’ perceptions of front-of-package warning labels on foods and drinks and their insights into features that could influence the effectiveness of the labels. The study was qualitative with 113 purposively selected participants divided into 12 focus groups. Five themes emerged, positive attitudes toward warning labels, perceived benefits of warning labels, perceived behavior modification, perceived beneficiaries of warning labels, and effective attributes of warning labels. Almost all participants from all socio-economic backgrounds were positive about warning labels, reporting that warning labels concisely and understandably educated them about the nutritional composition of foods. Other perceived advantages were that warning labels warn of health implications, are easily understandable and could benefit child health. Some participants anticipated that warning labels would reduce their purchases of unhealthy foods, while others thought the labels would have no effect on their purchasing habits. Participants found the warning labels attention grabbing and stated that they preferred a black triangle placed on a white background, the words “high in” and “warning” in bold and uppercase text, an exclamation mark, and an icon depicting the excessive nutrient. Warning labels may improve consumer understanding of nutrition information on packaged food and drinks and have the potential to assist South African consumers identify unhealthy food and drinks.

Julia de Bruyn, J Wesana, SW Bunting, SH Thilsted, PJ Cohen. Applying a food environment lens to understand drivers of fish intake in the African Great Lakes Region.

Introduction: The growing prominence of food environment concepts and frameworks presents opportunities to rigorously evaluate the factors influencing access to key nutritious foods within a given setting. The fishery and aquaculture sectors have potential to support healthy, sustainable diets in Africa, yet their nutritional impact relies on an understanding of current drivers of and barriers to fish intake. Methods: This systematic scoping review synthesises evidence from 33 studies in the African Great Lakes Region to examine the influence of dimensions of the food environment on fish acquisition and consumption. Results: We identified only two studies that explicitly applied a food environment framework, and none that linked policy conditions with fish intake. Economic access to fish was represented in the largest number of included studies (21 studies), followed by preferences, acceptability and desirability of fish (17 studies) and availability and physical access (14 studies). Positive perceptions of taste and low cost, relative to other animal-source foods, were drivers of fish purchases in many settings; however, limited physical and economic access were frequently identified as preventing optimal intake. In lakeside communities, fish were increasingly directed toward external markets which reduced the availability and affordability of fish for local households. Discussion and conclusions: The use of food environment frameworks to evaluate fish acquisition and consumption – within the wider diet – can provide sound evidence to guide policy and investment decisions to improve nutrition. Our review identified important knowledge gaps about seasonal and intra-household variations in fish access. Future research is also needed to evaluate interventions, including supply increases, value chain developments or behaviour change strategies, that respond to the identified constraints of cost, availability, convenience and preferences.

Christine G. Kiria Chege,  M Mbugua, K Onyango, M Lundy. Food price changes in low and middle income food environments during COVID-19 period: The COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic and governments’ measures to curb its spread have disrupted food systems and affected food environments globally. Food availably, affordability and accessibility have been disrupted. There is limited evidence of the effects of the pandemic on food environments, especially in the informal neighborhoods/slums of urban towns or cities. This study uses primary panel data, collected in December 2020 and May 2021, from vendors in low- and middle-income neighborhoods of Nairobi to assess the impact of COVID-19 and government measures to reduce spread of the disease on food environment. Recall questions were asked during the two rounds of survey to capture commodity sales and prices before COVID1-19 and during certain times of the year when the government had implemented certain measured to control spread of COVID-19, such as total lockdowns. The study specifically analyzes consumer prices for different commodities, quantities sold during COVID-19 and effects of the prices on the quantity demanded by low and middle income urban consumers in Nairobi, Kenya. Both descriptive and fixed effects models are used to assess the effects. Our findings show that prices of most fruits and vegetables increased during first lockdown and then decreased after the lockdown in both slum and non- slum areas, while prices of most fruits and vegetables increased in January 2021 after the Government lifted 2% reduction in value added tax on all goods. Fixed effects regression analysis indicated that prices of different foods such as kales, milk, eggs and Irish potatoes had a negative effect on the quantities sold by vendors per week, implying that increased prices has led to reduced consumption of nutritious food such as vegetables (kales), animal proteins (milk and eggs) and unprocessed foods (Irish potatoes). Policy recommendations are also given in the paper.

Eva-Charlotte Ekström, M Jirström, B Alsanius, H Berhane, C Turner, K Selling, S Abdelmenan, T Shifraw, A Kebede, A Worku, Y Berhane. Food availability in residential neighborhoods and family diet diversity in Addis Ababa.

Background: There is limited knowledge on the importance of urban food environments for families’ consumption of healthy foods. Objective: To evaluate the importance of residential neighborhood food environments (rNFE) for families’ consumption of healthy foods. Methods: A multistage random cluster sampling of Addis Ababa identified 233 residential neighborhoods including 5467 households. In each neighborhood, an index household was identified and all vendors within 5 minutes walking distance were assessed for the availability of 11 healthy food groups. The same food groups were used to define family diet diversity (24h recall). For analyses, rNFE availability was further categorized into lowest, middle and highest. Data on household wealth and maternal education was collected and aggerated to the neighborhood level (NL). Linear mixed models investigated the relationship between neighborhood characteristics (food availability, NL-maternal education, NL-wealth) and household characteristics (maternal education and wealth) on the outcome of family food diversity using neighborhoods as clusters. Results: On average 7.6 of the 11 food groups were available and the families consumed 4.8 food groups. Families in neighborhoods with the lowest food availability consumed 0.2 fewer food groups compared to those in the highest. The household factors had larger effects; -1.2 if mother had not completed 1st grade vs college, and -1.2 in lowest vs highest wealth quintile. Conclusions: Neighborhood food availability had a limited effect on family diet diversity. Both maternal education and household wealth appear as much more important for family diet diversity.

Agnes Erzse, P Kruger, T Rwafa-Ponela, S Abdool Karim, S Goldstein, K Hofman. Using the behaviour change wheel to identify tailored interventions to improve food environments in public primary schools in urban South Africa.

Introduction: School food environments play a vital role in child nutrition. Interventions targeting schools can be effective but must be responsive and evidence based. The aim of this study was to identify context specific interventions to improve primary school food environments in Gauteng, South Africa using the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW). Methods: A secondary analysis of 25 interviews with public primary school staff was undertaken. We identified risk factors influencing school food environments using MAXQDA software then deductively coded these using the COM-B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation – Behaviour) model. Interventions were based on the NOURISHING framework and were matched to identified risk factors. Results: Findings showed that students, staff, and food providers had limited awareness of school food and beverage guidelines, and the harms of unhealthy diets (psychological capability). There was a need for increased funding, changes to food supplies, and monitoring and evaluation systems (physical opportunity). Social influences including reward culture around unhealthy foods (social opportunity) were core targets of interventions. Profit motives of food providers (reflective motivation) and preference for unhealthy foods (automatic motivation) were both identified as important barriers to healthy school food environments. We identified 21 context-specific interventions across the COM-B domains. Discussion and conclusion: Facilitators and barriers to healthy school food environments need better understanding to identify context specific interventions that modify school food environments and allow students to make healthier food choices. The BCW and COM-B model can be helpful tools in identifying and designing such interventions.

Tamryn Frank, R Swart, M Bopape, AM Thow, SW Ng, J Ostrowski. A Fit-for-Purpose Nutrient Profiling Model to Underpin Food and Nutrition Policies in South Africa.

Introduction: South Africa (SA) is facing a rising prevalence of obesity and diet-related chronic diseases. The government is seeking to develop effective, evidence-based policy measures to address this. A well-designed, fit-for-purpose nutrient profiling model (NPM) can aid policy development. Methods: The aim of this study was to develop a fit-for-purpose NPM in SA. Steps included: (1) determining the purpose and target population; (2) selecting appropriate nutrients and other food components to include; (3) selecting a suitable NPM type, criteria and base; and (4) selecting appropriate numbers and thresholds. As part of the evaluation, the nutritional composition of packaged foods containing nutritional information (n = 6747) in the SA food supply chain was analyzed, a literature review was undertaken and various NPMs were evaluated. Results and Discussion: Our findings indicated that it is most appropriate to adapt an NPM and underpin regulation with a restrictive NPM that limits unhealthy food components. The Chile 2019 NPM was identified as suitable to adapt, and total sugar, saturated fat, sodium and non-sugar sweetener were identified as appropriate to restrict. Conclusion: This NPM has the potential to underpin restrictive policies, such as front-of-package labelling and child-directed marketing regulations in SA. These policies will support the fight against obesity and NCDs in the country.

Savannah Froese, NS Gunaratna, S Kimenju, R Ambikapathi. Food Systems in Kenya: Gaps and Opportunities for Optimal Nutrition and Health Outcomes.

Introduction: Overnutrition and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are increasing in Kenya. Using a food systems perspective, we synthesize current data on agricultural production of nutritious foods, food supply chains, food environments (FE), affordability of diets, dietary intakes, and associated NCDs. A food systems perspective, which also considers effects under climate change, aids in identifying research and policy recommendations to promote a more resilient and sustainable food system. Methods: Based on the approach used by Kawabata et al. (2020), we use published literature, public use databases such as the PMA 2020 Nutrition Survey, FAOSTAT, the Food Systems Dashboard, EM-DAT International Natural Disaster Database, Kenyan demographic health surveys, and national policy documents to synthesize the current status and trajectory of food systems in Kenya. Results: Rapid increases in NCDs in Kenya are associated with urbanization (among other factors) and shifting FE. Secondary cities in particular are experiencing rapid FE changes and population growth and will need stable access to health systems and nutritious food, especially under climate change. Meanwhile, marketing of energy-dense convenient foods by multinational and national companies needs further attention. Discussion and Conclusion: Benchmarking of FE policies offers a platform for multi-sectoral experts and interests to work together on addressing diet-related NCDs, while serving as an avenue to integrate food and health systems. Significant government investments in agriculture production, particularly in vegetable and fruit production, and value addition industries offer potential pathways to increase affordability and access to nutritious foods, while increasing inclusivity as food systems transition in Kenya.

Constance A Gewa, AC Onyango, RO Opiyo, L Cheskin, J Gittelsohn. Food environment in and around primary school children’s schools and neighborhoods in two urban settings in Kenya.

We conducted a cross-sectional study to provide an overview primary school children food environment in two urban settings in Kenya. Six schools, catering to children from low, medium and high-income households in the cities of Nairobi and Kisumu in Kenya, participated in the study. Data on types of food places and foods offered were collected and healthy and unhealthy food availability scores calculated for each place. Key-informant interviews were conducted with school officials in Kisumu to learn more about school-based food offerings. We utilized prevalence ratio analysis to examine associations between food availability, food place characteristics and neighborhood income levels. Altogether, 508 food places, located within 1 kilometer of the schools and the school children’s neighborhoods were observed. Open-air market sellers and kiosks were most common. The proportion of food places with high healthy food availability was 2.2 times greater among food places in Nairobi compared to Kisumu, 1.9 times greater in food places with multiple cashpoints, 1.7 times greater in medium/large sized food places and 1.4 times greater in food places located in high income neighborhoods. Key-informants acknowledged that school canteens prioritized food items that were most affordable and favorable to the school children, and that school policies on nutritional quality of school-based foods were generally lacking or vague if in existence. These findings highlight differences in availability of healthy foods and unhealthy foods across types of food places and neighborhood income levels, and the need for specific policies on food healthiness within schools and around schools.

Gideon Onyedikachi Iheme, A Adile, I Egechizuorom, K Oluwadamilare, O Ogbonna, L Olah, H Enuka, I Hajara, A Nwabumma, E Oyebamiji. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Price Index in Nigeria.

Introduction: The economic effect of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown on food access/demand can lead to food price changes. This study was designed to evaluate the covid-19 influenced differences in food commodity prices. Methods: The study design captured eight urban markets in Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was employed. The number of sample points for each measure and commodity ranged from 2-4 per selected market. Weighted portions and corresponding price equivalents of the local measures of commodities sold by traders were obtained before, during and post-lockdown. Pre COVID-19 price served as the baseline for comparison Results: Results on the percentage price differences revealed that cereals/grains (lockdown – 4.87-23.53%; post-lockdown -38.68-65.16%), legumes/nuts (lockdown – 4.51-47.37%; post-lockdown -27.82-155.26%), egg/milk (lockdown – 12.69-16.46%; post-lockdown -18.28-29.86%) increased during the lockdown but worsened post-lockdown. Yam, sweet potato and cassava flour (alagbo) experienced a double increase in the post-lockdown (96.32-117.5%) price. Vegetables recorded a huge leap in price during lockdown (64.39-197.98%) than post-lockdown (-8.95% to 66.22%). Same was observed for goat meat (lockdown price – 30.0%; post-lockdown -12.38%). Other essential commodities such as oil, salt and sugar experienced price upsurge as well (lockdown; 3.82 -17.07; post lockdown; 0.31-21.9%). Conclusion: Food prices increased during the lockdown and worsened afterwards, efforts to eliminate food system disruptions will boost food production and enhance physical accessibility.

Sejla Isanovic, S Constantinides, E Frongillo, S Bhandari, E Kenney, S Sharraf, C Blake. Perspectives about food safety in diverse low- and middle-income countries.

Introduction: Concerns about unsafe food influence food choice, and consumption of unsafe foods increase morbidity and mortality, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Addressing unsafe food is dominated by mitigation of biological and chemical hazards through supply-side risk management, disregarding individuals’ experiences and perspectives of food safety. We aimed to identify and categorize perspectives about food safety in five countries. Methods: Five Drivers of Food Choice projects provided transcripts from 17 focus groups discussions and 303 interviews in Kenya, Ghana, India, Guinea, and Vietnam. We analyzed transcripts using a priori and emergent codes. Results: Individuals constructed meaning about food safety through personal experience and social influences. Community and family members contributed knowledge about food safety. Concerns about food safety were influenced by reputations of and relationships with vendors. Concerns were amplified by mistrust of vendors’ purposeful adulteration or unsafe selling practices and of new methods used to produce food. Individuals were reassured of food safety by positive relationships with vendors; home-cooked meals; implementation of policies and regulations being followed; vendor adherence to environmental sanitation and food hygiene practices; cleanliness of vendors’ appearance; vendors’ or producers’ agency to use risk mitigation strategies; and transparency in production, processing, and distribution of food. Discussion: Assessment of food-safety policies in these countries will provide evidence about whether individuals’ perspectives about food safety are considered. Conclusion: Individuals’ perspectives about food safety influences food choices. Success of food-safety policies hinges on consideration of these perspectives.

Magnus Jirström, C Turner, HY Berhane, Y Berhane, S Abdelmenan, KE Selling, B Alsamius, L Wallberg, E-C Ekström. Food environments in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Investigating food availability among families with pre-school aged children.

BACKGROUND: The role of food environments in shaping transitioning diets is gaining attention, however evidence from SSA remains limited. OBJECTIVE: To assess the availability of healthy and unhealthy foods in the residential neighbourhoods of Addis Ababa and its association with neighbourhood wealth. METHODS: A multistage random cluster sampling of Addis Ababa identified 233 residential neighbourhoods including 5467 households. In each neighbourhood, an index household was identified and all vendors (2568) within 5 minutes walking distance were assessed for the availability of foods from 11 healthy and 8 unhealthy (high-energy dense/ultra-processed) food groups. Data were aggregated to the neighbourhood level for analysis. RESULTS: Food availability in residential neighbourhoods was generally high. Five of the eleven healthy food groups were available in 87-97% of neighbourhoods. The availability of meat, fish, and vitamin A rich fruits was low, at 21%, 42%, 36%, respectively. The availability of the 5 ultra-processed food groups was very high at 92-98%. Marginal differences in food availability were found when stratified by neighbourhood wealth. However, neighbourhoods in the lowest wealth tertile featured the lowest density of both healthy and unhealthy food groups. CONCLUSIONS: The availability of basic elements of a healthy diet is generally high while more nutrient-rich food groups are limited. Availability of all ultra-processed food groups were almost universal. The density of foods tended to be higher in wealthier neighbourhoods, in particular the unhealthy ones.

Alice Karanja, A Ickowitz, B Stadlmayra, S McMullin.  Understanding drivers of food choice in LMICs: a systematic mapping study.

Introduction: Understanding individual-based motives governing food choices is necessary to design appropriate interventions and support food systems consistent with the food environment, consumer characteristics, preferences and values. Methods: We used a systematic mapping approach to identify and systematize available evidence on drivers of food choice in low- and middle- income countries. We mapped geographical and topical areas where there is emerging evidence to build on and understudied areas requiring more strategic empirical research. Results and discussion: We identified a list of forty (40) individual-based motives which were sorted into seven clusters. Most studies focused on adults and women-specific aspects of food choices, especially those investigating the role of cultural-based food taboos and diet restrictions. Studies related to the dimensions of the food environment focused on food affordability, convenience, promotional information and food availability. Sub-Saharan Africa, was the most studied region in understanding drivers of food choice followed by East Asia and Pacific, and South Asia. Heatmaps of the current evidence across rural-urban landscape configurations revealed that existing studies are skewed towards urban settings with a dearth of studies in rural and peri-urban contexts. Conclusion: Based on our review, we highlight areas for future research and the need to adopt systemic and spatially explicit research frameworks that appreciate cultural and socioeconomic contexts of consumers. This review thus presents a resource that can support on-going efforts to advance knowledge of dietary behaviors and contextual efforts necessary to promote healthier diets.

Alice Scaria Khan, R Swart, T Frank. Child-directed marketing on pre-packaged breakfast cereals in South Africa.

Background: Childhood obesity is on the rise in South Africa (SA) and child-directed marketing (CDM) is one of the contributing factors to children’s unhealthy food choices and consumption. This study assessed CDM on pre-packaged breakfast cereals available in South African supermarkets and described the nutrient composition of these pre-packaged products. CDM was defined as the use of on-package marketing technique(s), targeting children under the age of 18 years. Methods: A descriptive observational study of CDM on pre-packaged breakfast cereals was undertaken with quantitative analysis of the nutrient composition. The CDM questionnaire was developed in REDCap, an online research database and data captured therein. Cross tabulations and one-way ANOVAs were performed during analysis. All analysis with p value < 0.05 was taken as significant. Results: CDM strategies were classified as direct (to the child) or indirect (through the parent). A total of 222 breakfast cereals were studied, of which 96.9% had a nutritional or health claim, 95.0% had illustrations, 75.2% had product and consumption appeals, 10.8% had characters, 10.8% consisted of different appeals, 8.6% alluded to fantasy and 7.7% had role models. In breakfast cereals with direct CDM the protein and fibre content were significantly lower while the total carbohydrate and total sugar content were significantly higher than in breakfast cereals without direct CDM. No significant difference was found in the energy and sodium content. Conclusion: CDM was found to be prevalent in breakfast cereals sold in South Africa and the ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereals were excessive in some nutrients of concern. Policies to regulate CDM of pre-packaged breakfast cereals is recommended.

Matthew Yosah Konlan, P Konka, HAK Abiwu. Assessing consumer understanding of food labels and use in making a healthy dietary choice.

Introduction: Creating supportive food environments that influence consumers to make healthy food choices and/or food industry to improve the healthiness of their food products can contribute in addressing the rising burden of obesity and nutrition-related non-communicable diseases (NR_NCDs). Food labeling is one typical example of a population-based approach that helps consumers to make healthful choices of packaged foods at the point-of-purchase. This review aims to assess consumer understanding of food labels and use in making a healthy dietary choice. Methods: A systematic review was conducted by searching electronic databases. Recently published (2012-2020) relevant articles were screened by authors and included if they met the inclusion criteria. Ten articles, which met the inclusion criteria were included in this review. The articles were evaluated and findings were combined with assessments made by authors of food labels in Ghana Results: We found that consumer self-reported understanding of food labels was high. However, an objective measure of label understanding revealed otherwise. The self-reported use of food labels was high. However, an objective measure of the use of food labels in making a healthy choice may reveal otherwise. Expiry date, health claims, nutrition content, price, instruction for use, storage information and advertisement influenced the use of food labels. For those who used nutrition content, fats, sugar and cholesterol were mostly used. Nutritional value of the product, health consciousness, religious beliefs, preference of some food ingredients, food allergy motivated consumers to read food labels. Common difficulties encountered in the use of food labels included unfamiliar language other than English-foreign language, small font sizes, when in hurry, technical/scientific language. Discussion: Our finding that self-reported understanding and use of food labels is high is similar to the findings in Europe, which reported that the self-reported understanding and use of nutrition labels was high (Cowburn and Stockley, 2004). Conclusions: Self-reported understanding and use of food labels is high in Ghana. However, an objective measure revealed that understanding of food labels is rather low. Government of Ghana and the food industry needs to explore new formats of improving understanding of food labels and use in making a healthy choice among consumers.

Akua Tandoh, IA Kumi, AK Laar. Healthiness of Foods and Beverages Advertised on Ghanaian Television Programmes Targeting Children.

Introduction: The advertisement of energy-dense nutrient-poor foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children remains a pressing public health concern. Evidence shows that persistent exposure to food advertisements influences children’s food preferences, purchases, and consumption behaviour. This study assessed the healthiness of foods and non-alcoholic beverages advertised on Ghanaian television programs targeting children. Methods: Three television channels were purposively selected, and programmes were recorded over a four month period. The composite week sampling technique was used to sample the days for recording. Content analysis of advertised food and beverage products was undertaken, and healthiness was categorized as healthy, unhealthy, and miscellaneous. Results: Of the 1,926 adverts recorded, 590 were of foods and beverages. The most advertised foods were sugar-sweetened beverages (25.8%); followed by snacks (12.8%), milk and yoghurts (12.4%), instant noodles (7.1%), candy/chocolate and ice creams (6.4%), breakfast cereals and beverages (5.3%), fruits (2%), water and vegetables (<1.5%). The most used persuasive technique were those utilizing sensory-based attributes such as taste, texture, appearance, aroma (44%), suggested product use for or by children (30%), use of animation, children, cartoon characters (29%), health claims (18%), portrayed happiness fun and pleasure (14%). Conclusion: Unhealthy food adverts are broadcast on TV programmes targeting Ghanaian children and are accompanied by at least one persuasive technique that could influence children’s food purchase and consumption of energy-dense nutrient-poor foods. Regulatory mechanisms are required to limit broadcast advertising of such foods to protect the health of children in Ghana.

Julia Liguori, U Trübswasser, R Pradeilles, A Le Port, E Landais, E Talsma, M Lundy, C Béné, N Bricas, A Laar, MJ Amiot-Carlin, I Brouwer, M Holdsworth. How do food safety concerns drive consumer behaviors and diets in low- and middle-income countries?

Introduction: Food safety and dietary behaviors are major contributors to the global burden of disease. The impact that food safety concerns have on dietary behaviors in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), especially in rapidly urbanizing environments, is insufficiently documented. Methods: We conducted a systematic review to determine whether food safety concerns influence consumer behaviors and diets in LMICs. We used a socio-ecological food environment framework to map how food safety factors influence consumer behaviors (food acquisition/purchase, eating out of home, food preparation/storage) and diets (nutritious/non-nutritious foods) within the food system. Results: We identified 46 studies from 20 LMICs. Consumers were worried about food safety, but could not always take the necessary steps to acquire safe food. Concerns are often outweighed by food price, accessibility, convenience and appeal. Key issues included fear of pesticides, fertilizers, hygiene in/around food outlets, vendor practices and household storage/preparation methods. There was some evidence that these concerns reduced consumption of animal sourced food and fresh fruit/vegetables; and increased consumption of non-nutritious and processed/packaged foods. Discussion: Consumers have myriad of risk mitigation strategies such as: eating out less frequently, observing hygiene in and around food outlets, kinship networks and household practices, to avoid illness and unsafe foods. Conclusion: Policies such as upgrading urban market infrastructure to enhance food safety, accompanied by nutrition education, could lead to increased accessibility and appeal of safe, nutrient-rich food and reduce the appeal of packaged/processed food; thereby contributing to preventing foodborne disease and multiple forms of malnutrition.

Vincent Linderhof, M Dijkshoorn-Dekker, E Obeng, E Bulten, W de Haas, Z van Eldik, V Nigten, A Laar. Transition pathways to a transformed urban food environment for healthy diets for all: the case of Accra, Ghana.

Introduction: Although there is a common understanding regarding how healthy and sustainable diets should look like, there is no magic bullet approach as to how urban food environments can assure sustainable healthy diets. Current food environment literature presents diverse scenarios for assuring healthier diets. Accordingly, there are multiple ways of transitioning to healthier diets in urban food environments. The actors’ diversity in the urban food environments produce divergent views on how urban food environments could contribute to healthier diets. Therefore, there is a need for shared vision and common transition pathways to avoid a deadlock. Method: We propose two workshops to explore pathways to transitioning Accra’s current urban food environment into one that assures healthy and sustainable diets. This exploration of pathways is conducted with a bottom-up approach including a stakeholder analysis, stakeholder engagements, policy analysis and landscape analysis. The advantage of this exploration is that stakeholders with differences in their background and experiences have a dialogue to become more aware of each other’s preferences and conditions for change. Results and discussion: The workshops will be conducted in November and December 2021. Adhering to the principles of multi-stakeholder inclusivity, the stakeholders invited to these workshops will span the entire spectrum of the food environment – state and non-state actors, the private sector, NGOs, academics and civil society. The first step is to identify common aspects of transitions. The second step is to have dialogues about what is expected from members and stakeholders in terms of investment, adjusting regulation, enforcement, promotion etc.

Tjale Cloupas Mahopo, CN Nesamvuni, J Van Niekerk , AE Nesamvuni, M de Bruyn, R Ambikapathi. Characterizing the operations of the street food enterprise in the Vhembe district, South Africa.

Objective: To characterize the operations of the street food enterprise in the Vhembe district, focusing on business profile, sold foods, inputs, pricing, record-keeping practices, and total running cost. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional face-to-face study of 511 vendors was done using a structured researcher-administered questionnaire comprised of demographic and operational characteristics. Convenience sampling was used to select the vending sites. Results: The results highlight the dominance of single middle-aged (35-44) (63.1%) women with some high school education. About 14% migrated from Zimbabwe. Most of the vendors were full-owners (86.1%) with 70.0% in business for at least one to ten years. Food sold included mielie pap [ stiff porridge] served with beef or chicken, sometimes with vegetables. Plate prices were R44.2±R7.7 for a full plate and R30.9±R8.7 for half a plate. Government officials, middlemen, and school children were the most common consumers of street food. The vendors used social media and word of mouth to communicate with their customers. The results highlight poor managerial skills as only 15.5% kept records, most of which were sales records (59.5%). On average, street vendors made a monthly profit of R4098.8±R4031.3 while they spent R2470.8±R2185.5 on running expenses daily. There were statistically significant variations in some operational characteristics of vendor variables and gender, age, marital status, and citizenship. Conclusions: There is a need for capital and management for small businesses and food training for rural street food vendors. Therefore, government officials, policymakers, and NGOs could target street vendors to offer training and microfinance to improve their business skills, while also promoting food safety and consumption of nutritious foods.

Anthony Muchai Manyara, E Mwaniki, J Gill, C Gray. Barriers and facilitators of healthy eating in a low-income and middle-income community in Nairobi, Kenya: A qualitative study.

Introduction: Understanding local perceptions, experiences and factors influencing healthy eating is important to develop interventions that maximise on engagement and potential effectiveness. This study aimed to explore the barriers and facilitators of healthy eating in two different communities in Nairobi, Kenya. Methods: Participants were recruited from one low-income community (n=15, 7 female) and one middle-income community (n=14, 6 female). In-depth interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analysed. Results: Lack of knowledge of the recommended portions of fruit and vegetable may have failed to facilitate adequate fruit and vegetable intake. Additionally, perceived benefits of healthy eating and perceived consequences of unhealthy eating could have motivated the consumption of healthy diets. Also, upbringing was mentioned as one of the main social influences on (un)healthy eating and another was social norms such as associating western diets with high socioeconomic status. Furthermore, the unaffordability of healthy foods (mainly in the low-income community), availability and affordability of unhealthy foods (in the middle-income community) and safety concerns of healthy foods in both communities were mentioned as barriers to healthy eating. Finally, meal plans were proposed as facilitators of healthy eating. Conclusions: Interventions to promote healthy diets should increase knowledge of the composition of healthy diets, increase understanding of benefits of healthy diets and consequences of unhealthy diets, and support people to develop meal plans. Further, there is need to increase affordability of healthy foods in the low-income community, restrict availability and affordability of unhealthy foods in the middle-income community, model consumption of healthy diets at household level, and ensure food safety.

Natasha Mazonde, SA Karim, P Mushamiri, P Kruger, K Hofman, S Goldstein. Media coverage of the Health Promotion Levy (HPL) in South Africa.

Background: A health promotion levy (HPL), as it is referred to in South Africa is the tax on sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs), was first mooted in 2015 and implemented in April 2018. We aimed to show how introduction of the HPL was deliberated in the South African online media, and how this changed over time; Methods: We performed a quantitative and qualitative discourse analysis of online news articles identified through the Meltwater database. Fifty articles were selected and analysed qualitatively based on diversity of publication, sentiment and voice; Results: The media landscape was highly reactive to the HPL introduction. Framing of the tax shifted over time related to key milestones in the policy-making process. South Africa’s experience in adopting the HPL mirrored similar global news media experiences, and fueled debate on the complexities around implementation of health policies to address non-communicable diseases (NCDs); Conclusions: This study contributes to on-going debates on how media coverage of health interventions influences policies and public opinion, and how introduction of the HPL in South Africa contributed to shifts in the purchase and intake of SSBs. These findings provide useful lessons for countries intending to adopt a similar health policy intervention.

Natasha Mazonde, S Goldstein. Online health communities’ portrayal of obesity on social media platforms in South Africa.

Background: The rapidly increasing prevalence of obesity in South Africa, intertwined with extensive changes diet and food choices has led to a complex framing of obesity on social media. To leverage social media for obesity prevention, we need to understand how the health issue is portrayed online. This study was conducted to understand how obesity is constructed and represented on social media in South Africa. Methods: A cross sectional mixed methods study design with qualitative framing analysis and quantitative content analysis of Facebook and Twitter in South Africa over a six month period. The study used Meltwater software for data collection and data were extracted by the researcher yielding 13 500 posts and tweets. Data were cleaned and coded in Microsoft Excel. Results: Representation of obesity on social media in South Africa suggests a complex health issue depicting stigmatising portrayals largely blaming individuals for unhealthy lifestyles and poor diets leading to obesity. Social media engagement with obesity messaging is both passive and interactive. There is a mix of voices creating obesity content including health advocacy groups, health experts, and media personalities. Conclusions: This study documented media portrayals of obesity. With social media intricately embedded in the social lives of South Africans, there is a high likelihood that obesity prevention efforts will turn to social media to reach out to the public. Future research and media-based prevention efforts need to leverage social media to fully understand the discourse around obesity.

Moses Mokaya, F Kyallo, C Matthys, R Vangoitsenhoven, E Saruni. Environmental factors influencing Dietary Intake in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Kenyan Qualitative Study.

Introduction: Approximately 2.2% of the adult population in Kenya has diabetes and nearly two-thirds has undiagnosed diabetes. Diabetes is associated with all-cause mortality and cardiovascular diseases. Kenya is in the nutrition transition, where the food environment influences unhealthy dietary choices. Dietary behavior and the food environment are important drivers in the control of type 2 diabetes. However, there is little information on the specific drivers of the disease in Kenya. Purpose: To explore the barriers and facilitators to dietary intake in adults with type 2 diabetes. Methods: A qualitative study using telephone interviews was conducted between August and December 2020. Respondents included adults with type 2 diabetes from six hospitals. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered through electronically recorded telephone interviews. The questionnaire collected data on perceived dietary behavior and food environment. The NVivo 12 Software was used for inductive content analysis. Results: Thirty interviews were conducted, each lasting between 27-47 minutes. The average age of the respondents was 56 years (Range 33-80 years). The four leading identified facilitators to dietary intake include knowledge on the benefits of food, owning gardens or farms, access to healthy food, and proximity to food selling points. Four leading barriers that were identified include inaccurate beliefs, tastes and preferences, socio-economic factors, and seasonality of fruits and vegetables. Conclusion: Facilitators and barriers to dietary intake in adults with type 2 diabetes in Kenya are influenced by knowledge on healthy dietary patterns. Promoting food literacy is a potential approach to health dietary intake.

Mulenga Mary Mukanu, AM Thow, P Delobelle, Z Mchiza. Determinants of dietary patterns of school going adolescents and their policy implications in Zambia.

Background: The double burden of malnutrition in developing countries has been associated with unhealthy food consumption. This study aimed to identify drivers of dietary patterns of school going adolescents in Zambia using a food environment lens and analyse its implications on food policy. Methods: We conducted 20 focus group discussions using a structured topic guide with grade 10 pupils from ten secondary schools in Lusaka. Turner’s framework which conceptualizes the food environment into external and internal domains was used to guide thematic data analysis and results interpretation. Results: Adolescents stated their food choices are largely based on personal preference linked to the need for social acceptability among peers. Adolescents felt their food choice was limited to ‘cheap junk foods’ which were readily available at school. Healthy foods like fruits were reportedly inaccessible and unaffordable. Some adolescents stated they were attracted to certain foods by adverts they see on TV and social media. Discussion: Our findings show that school food environments do not support healthy dietary patterns as cheap snacks are widely available while fruits and other healthier food options are unavailable. This presents an opportunity to introduce policies on food vendor zoning around school premises and to strengthen existing policies restricting food sold in school tuck shops. Indiscriminate marketing of unhealthy foods like sugar sweetened beverages to adolescents requires implementation of stronger food marketing regulations. The strong peer influence on food choice can be leveraged to promote school based peer led health promotion interventions. Conclusion: The identified factors shaping adolescent dietary patterns provide opportunity for food policy reforms in Zambia.

Patience Mushamiri-Kuzviwanza, S Goldstein. Use of child-directed persuasive marketing techniques on television in South Africa.

Introduction: Consumption of unhealthy diets by children has contributed to the high prevalence of childhood obesity in South Africa. The use of child-directed persuasive marketing techniques on television is of concern as it plays a role in children’s dietary choices and promotes children’s consumption of unhealthy food, such as sugary foods products. Methods: Following industry pledges made relating to the reduction of child-directed marketing of unhealthy foods, this study aimed to describe the frequency of advertisements for sugary food products and the advertising techniques being used to appeal to children on South African TV channels. Advertisements aired during children’s and family viewing times, over a two-week period on two South African free-to-air channels were recorded. An analysis of the frequency of advertisements as well as the techniques of advertising used was carried out. Results: Results from the study revealed that 13% of all advertisements aired were for food products, with more than 40% of those being for sugary foods. On one of the channels, close to 80% of the food advertisements aired during children’s viewing times were for sugary foods. Various persuasive marketing techniques were identified as being used in the advertisements to directly appeal to children. Discussion and Conclusion: These findings highlight how industry self-regulation continues to be ineffective in limiting children’s exposure to unhealthy food. It also shows the importance of government legislation whose aim is to stop child-directed marketing of unhealthy food products, with additional specific limitations on the use of persuasive techniques when advertising to children.

Kovania Naidoo, V Van Der Westhuizen. Investigating and mapping out the obesogenic food environments within predominantly Indian communities in the city of Durban, South Africa.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate and map out the food environments within predominantly Indian communities in the city of Durban, South Africa.
Setting: Tongaat, Verulam, Phoenix and Chatsworth were chosen as the communities of interest as they are the four largest predominantly Indian communities in Durban. Design: Data was gathered using Geographical Information Systems (Google Earth®) to determine the Modified Retail Food Environment Index (mRFEI). The mRFEI measures the number of healthy formal food outlets out of the total number of outlets. Results: The mRFEI scores showed all the food environments to be within the healthy range. Tongaat was found to have the healthiest food environment, followed by Chatsworth, Verulam and Phoenix had the unhealthiest food environment. Discussion: It is hypothesized that Tongaat is the healthiest due to the lower household income and Phoenix is the unhealthiest due to the higher household income. Higher household income has been associated with an increase in the consumption of fast foods and thereby an increased risk of obesity. It is also hypothesized that Indian cooking methods and not the food environments may be responsible for the incidence of obesity amongst Indians due to the use of oils, saturated fats, high sugar and high salt usage. Conclusion: More studies are required to substantiate these judgements as there is currently limited research available on the South African Indian diet and health status.

Noella Nyirangirinshuti, ME Laar, C Nti, C Mukantwali. Choice of food retail outlets and nutritional outcomes among poor urban dwellers in kamashangi cell, Rwanda.

Introduction: Food retail outlets is rapidly changing in developing countries where modern retail outlets is replacing traditional outlets. These changes also change people’s food choices and thus their nutrient intakes, health and nutritional status. The study aimed to determine the relationship between the choice of food retail outlets and nutrient intakes among adults in the poor-urban community of Kamashangi cell, Rwanda. Methods: Using a cross-sectional study design a household survey involving 360 adults aged 20 – 60 years was conducted. Information on respondent’s choices of food retail outlets was collected. A single 24-hour dietary recall was used to assess participants’ nutrient intakes and anthropometric data to determine respondents’ BMI. Data was analyzed using STATA. P ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The study revealed that 90% of the respondents purchased their foodstuffs from the traditional retail outlets. Calcium, vitamin A and folic acid intakes were low for all study participants regardless of their preferred retail outlets. About 31% of participants were overweight and 15.8% were obese with females being more obese (<0.001). The study found a significant relationship between choice of food retail outlets and the nutrient intakes, as well as between choice of food retail outlets and nutritional status. Discussion and conclusion: Unless measures are taken, the expansion of supermarkets is likely to have negative consequences on the health of poor urban dwellers in Kamashangi. This may exacerbate the prevalence of diet-related chronic diseases. It is therefore recommended that nutrition institutions should help people to keep the good habits of purchasing from traditional retailers.

Lucia Segovia de la Revilla, E Joy, E Ferguson, C Dooley. Current availability of food composition data in sub-Saharan Africa.

Estimates of population micronutrient intakes rely on the availability of relevant food consumption and composition data. However, food composition tables (FCTs) for use in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are scarce, provide outdated information and often rely heavily on imputed data from other geographies. This is particularly problematic for the mineral micronutrient composition of staple crops where there is important geospatial variability in crop composition due to factors such as soil type.
We conducted a scoping review to identify published food composition datasets used for dietary assessment of the mineral micronutrients calcium, iron, iodine, zinc and selenium in SSA for highly consumed food items. We identified 106 studies using food composition data to estimate dietary mineral supplies, of which 20 used the USDA FCT while 18 used the FCT for use in Africa (1968). In total, we identified 21 FCTs covering 18 geographic locations published between 1961 and 2021. Iron and calcium composition of foods were included in nearly all FCTs (21 and 20 FCTs, respectively). Iodine was the least reported (n=4) followed by selenium (n=6). Most FCTs reported using data from US or other countries outside Africa, although detailed information regarding the actual geographic location of the micronutrient data was often missing. Our study highlights the limited availability and poor documentation practices of food composition data across SSA. This constrains our ability to estimate dietary mineral micronutrient intakes and risk of deficiency in SSA.

Winnie Sambu, F Picchioni, C Turner, EA Codjoe, PK Nkegbe, S Stevano. Evidence and Gap Map on consumption of industrial diets in Ghana: what does the current evidence tell us?

Dietary patterns in Ghana have become increasingly westernised with links to poor nutritional outcomes such as overnutrition and related non-communicable diseases. Existing evidence suggests that studies examining dietary patterns and poor nutritional outcomes tend to focus on adult populations and less on other demographic groups. This Evidence and Gap Map (EAG) examines the extent to which research on adolescents’ dietary patterns and nutritional outcomes in Ghana addresses seven key aspects of food systems (policy environment, food availability, affordability, convenience, desirability, food consumption, and nutritional and health outcomes), and identifies the prevalence of micro-meso-macro scale analysis. We searched three main databases (Scopus, Web of Science and PubMed), and found 23 articles that met our inclusion criteria. The EAG found methodological gaps, with very few mixed methods and/or cross-disciplinary research. The majority of the studies (57%) were primary cross-sectional employing quantitative methods. Findings reveal that food consumption has been the most popular domain, included in over 90% of the studies, whilst very few studies have examined food policy and governance, and hardly any have linked the macro/meso levels to micro-level analysis. Another striking finding was the lack of studies on food cost, consumer knowledge and awareness, links to power and decision-making. Our review suggests the need for future research to consider these key knowledge gaps to generate evidence for design and implementation of policies and interventions to improve adolescents’ nutritional outcomes.

Rina Swart, M Bopape, T Frank. Evaluating FOPL on packaged food products in South Africa.

Introduction: The increasing range and diversity of processed food options in South Africa make it difficult for consumers to make informed healthier choices, fuelling excessive consumption of nutrients associated with increased risk for non-communicable diseases. Methods: The aim of the randomised control trial (n=1949) was to determine the effectiveness a warning label (WL), the GDA and the Multicolour Traffic Light (MTL) to help consumers identify foods high in nutrients of concern as well as foods that are unhealthy. Each participant was exposed to only ONE random FOPL on three single products and three pairs of products. Ethics approval was received from UWC BMREC (BM18/9/13). Results: The WL performed better than the GDA and the MTL to inform participants about food products that are high in nutrients of concern as well as on the unhealthiness of the product(s). Both the GDA and the MTL incorrectly informed participants on “high in” nutrients of concern (3 out of 9 times and 5 out of 9 times respectively) as well as on its unhealthiness on some products (3 out of 6 times for both). Discussion: A warning label can be effective to convey information on products that are high in nutrients of concern and which thus should be avoided or replaced by similar products that are less unhealthy. Conclusion: We propose the WL as a mandatory FOPL for South Africa.

Alejandra Contreras Manzano, Alejandra Jauregui, Claudia Nieto, Larissa Quevedo, Jorge Vargas, Simón Barquera, David Hammond, James F. Thrasher. Percepción de cambio en compras alimentarias derivada de la implementación del etiquetado de advertencia en México.

El etiquetado de advertencia es una herramienta simple, práctica y eficaz para informar al público sobre productos que pueden dañar la salud y ayudar a orientar las decisiones de compra. El objetivo de este estudio fue describir la percepción en el cambio de compras de ocho grupos de alimentos derivado de la implementación del nuevo etiquetado frontal en México. Se recolectó a finales de 2020 información en niños y adolescentes y adultos (≥18 años) participantes de la encuesta en línea IFPS de la Universidad de Waterloo la cual tiene representatividad nacional. Modelos de regresión multinivel se ajustaron por características sociodemográficas, conocimientos de nutrición, categoría de IMC y rol de compras en el hogar. Los adultos reportaron comprar menos refresco de cola (49.4%), refresco (50%), refresco light (46%), bebidas frutales endulzadas (47%), barras de chocolate o dulces (41.6%), botanas saladas como papitas (40.9%), postres (41.7%), cereales azucarados (44.9%). Y en el caso de los jugos 100% naturales los cuales no tienen etiquetas frontales el 28.1% reportó comprar menos. Los resultados para los niños y adolescentes fueron consistentes con los adultos. Algunos factores asociados a mayor percepción de reducción en compras fue ser hombre, ser indígena, tener nivel socioeconómico bajo, tener conocimientos altos en nutrición, tener un rol importante en las compras del hogar y tener sobrepeso. Nuestros resultados sugieren que el etiquetado de advertencias contribuye a reducir la demanda de productos alimentarios ultraprocesados perjudiciales a la salud de la población mexicana.

Alícia Tavares da Silva Gomes, Patricia Constante Jaime. Associação entre o uso da informação veiculada por estratégias de marketing no ambiente alimentar do consumidor e características de consumidores brasileiros.

INTRODUÇÃO: O uso de informações veiculadas por estratégias de marketing no ambiente alimentar do consumidor pode estar associado a determinados públicos. Este estudo investigou essas relações em adultos brasileiros de ambos os sexos. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal, com dados de amostra probabilística (n=422) coletados através de ligações telefônicas em 2019. Consumidores responderam se considerariam para decisão de compra informações veiculadas por propagandas, sendo elas: preço promocional, benefícios à saúde, o fato do produto ser um lançamento e o oferecimento de brinde. Ainda, a amostra foi caracterizada de acordo com sexo, idade (tercis) e escolaridade. Qui-quadrado de Pearson foi utilizado para verificar associação entre variáveis, considerando-se nível de significância de 5%. RESULTADOS: As estratégias de maior uso para decisão de compra foram benefícios à saúde (76%) e preço promocional (75%), seguidos por lançamento (52%) e oferecimento de brinde (51%). As categorias com maior frequência de consideração das informações em todas as estratégias foram: mulheres, indivíduos de 20-32 anos e sem nível superior. Apenas a idade apresentou associação estatística com todas as estratégias (p<0.05). DISCUSSÃO: Aparentemente há um grupo de consumidores mais vulnerável ao uso de informações veiculadas por propagandas, composto por mulheres, jovens e com menor escolaridade. Porém, de maneira geral, tais informações são consideradas para compra pela maioria dos consumidores. CONCLUSÃO: Uma vez que as informações veiculadas por estratégias de marketing são consideradas relevantes por diferentes públicos, a presença e o tipo de produto sendo promovido devem ser sujeitos à regulação para construção de ambientes alimentares saudáveis.

Aline Brandão Mariath, Ana Paula Bortoletto Martins. Sugary drinks taxation: industry’s lobbying strategies, practices and arguments in the Brazilian Legislature.

Objective: To assess the strategies, practices and arguments used by the industry to lobby legislators against sugary drinks taxation in Brazil. Design: We performed a content analysis of arguments put forward by sugary drink and sugar industries against sugary drinks taxation, using the framework developed by the International Network for Food and Obesity/Non-Communicable Diseases Research, Monitoring and Action Support to assess corporate political activity of the food industry. Setting: Two public hearings held in 2017 and 2018 in the Brazilian Legislature. Participants: Representatives from two prominent industry associations – one representing Big Soda and the other representing the main sugar, ethanol and bioelectricity producers. Results: The ‘Information and messaging’ and ‘Policy substitution’ strategies were identified. Five practices were identified in the ‘Information and messaging’ strategy (four described in the original framework and an additional practice, ‘Stress the environmental importance of the industry’). Mechanisms not included in the original framework identified were ‘Stress the reduction of CO2 emissions promoted by the industry’; ‘Question the effectiveness of regulation’; ‘Suggest public-private partnerships’; ‘Shift the blame away from the product’ and ‘Question sugary drinks taxation as a public health recommendation’. No new practices or mechanisms to the original framework emerged in the ‘Policy substitution’ strategy. Conclusions: The strategies and practices are used collectively and complement each other. Arguments herein identified are in line with those reported in other countries under different contexts and using different methodologies. Future research should address whether and under what conditions lobbying from this industry sector is effective in the Brazilian Legislature.

Aline Brandão Mariath, Larissa Galastri Baraldi, Ana Paula Bortoletto Martins. The political power of the sugary drink industry in the Federal Senate, Brazil: an analysis of electoral campaign contributions.

Introduction: Although corporate electoral campaign contributions are recognized to influence public health-related policies, very little is known regarding the magnitude and possible effects of food industry contributions on electoral processes and decision-making. Objective: To assess electoral campaign contributions from industries related to sugary drinks production to candidates to the Federal Senate for the 55th Congress of the Brazilian Legislature (2015-2019). Methods: We assessed data on campaign contributions of the 2010 and 2014 Elections, in which members of the 55th Legislature were elected. Generalized linear model analysis with negative binomial regression was used to assess the effect of the contributions on the chances of election. Results: The transnationals Coca-Cola and Ambev were among the biggest donors related to sugary drinks production in both elections. Contributions from this industry sector helped finance 25.9% of the candidates in 2010 and 28.3% in 2014. Financed candidates were more likely to be Caucasians, to be older, to have higher education level and to refer themselves as being professional politicians. Among elected Senators, 59.3% had received campaign contributions from this industry sector. In the multivariate model, financed candidates were not more likely to be elected. Conclusion: Despite candidates who received contributions from corporations related to sugary drinks production were not more likely to be successful than their peers, Senators financed by the sector comprised over half of the elected officials. Further research should address whether this could have facilitated access to decision-makers and helped buy influence on legislative proposals.

Camila Casanova, Paula Gomez. Publicidad de alimentos y bebidas en kioscos de escuelas públicas de la ciudad autónoma de Buenos Aires.

Introducción: La Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (CABA) reglamentó la Ley Nº 3704/2013 que establece la Guía de Alimentos y Bebidas Saludables (GABS) para el funcionamiento de los kioscos escolares (KE). La GABS propone destacar los alimentos y bebidas (AB) saludables definidos en un listado. Sin embargo, no regula la publicidad de AB de baja calidad nutricional. El objetivo fue identificar la publicidad de AB de baja calidad nutricional en los kioscos de las escuelas públicas de la CABA. Métodos: Estudio observacional, descriptivo. Se implementó un cuestionario por parte de nutricionistas entrenadas durante abril a junio de 2019. Se identificó la publicidad de AB de baja calidad nutricional en la totalidad de los KE de escuelas públicas de la CABA. Se definió como AB de baja calidad nutricional a aquellos no contemplados en el listado de la GABS. La presencia de publicidad de AB se observó en heladeras o freezers, mobiliarios, cartelería y utensilios. Resultados: De los 114 kioscos relevados, el 82% presentó publicidad de AB, con un promedio de 2 por kiosco. Se identificó que el 70% de los KE presentó publicidad de AB en heladeras o freezers. En menor proporción, se observó publicidad de AB en mobiliarios (39% de los KE), cartelería (35%) y utensilios (8%). Conclusión: Se identificó una alta presencia de publicidad de AB de baja calidad nutricional en los KE. Por lo que resulta fundamental incluir esta dimensión del entorno en la reglamentación y mecanismos efectivos que garanticen su cumplimiento.

Camila Zancheta Ricardo, Mariana Grilo, Ana Clara Duran, Daniela Canella, Vanessa Montera, Mercedes Mora, Victoria Abril, Lizbeth Tolentino, Marcela Reyes, Camila Corvalán. Uso de aditivos alimentarios en bebidas y alimentos envasados comercializados en países latinoamericanos.

Introducción: El aumento en la participación de alimentos ultraprocesados (AUP) en la dieta resulta en peor calidad nutrimental y en exposición a sustancias raramente presentes en los alimentos naturales, como es el caso de los aditivos alimentarios. Este trabajo tiene por objetivo describir el uso de aditivos en productos alimentarios empaquetados comercializados en 5 países latinoamericanos. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo transversal con datos de rótulos de alimentos comercializados en supermercados de Brasil (2017; n=9858), Chile (2018; n=14241), Colombia (2018; n=8366), Ecuador (2019; n=1760) y México (2017; n=15651). Todos los aditivos descritos por el Codex Alimentarius fueron buscados en la lista de ingredientes para identificar su presencia y calcular el número de aditivos por producto. Resultados: En todos los países más del 70% de los productos evaluados presentaron aditivos, variando de 74,5% en México a 82,2% en Ecuador. El promedio de aditivos por producto fue cercano a cuatro en todos los países y varió entre 3,5 (Colombia) y 4,3 (Chile). La mayor variedad de aditivos en un mismo producto fue encontrada en Chile (máximo 31 distintos aditivos). La presencia de aditivos cosméticos, característica que define un producto como AUP, fue alta (68,6% de los productos). Los aromatizantes fueron observados en el 46,6% y los colorantes en el 32,1% de los alimentos y bebidas evaluados. Discusión y conclusión: Los aditivos alimentarios son ampliamente utilizados en los países latinoamericanos incluidos en el estudio. En futuros análisis exploraremos si las políticas alimentarias adoptadas en cada país influencian el uso de aditivos en la oferta alimentaria.

Carlos Cruz-Casarrubias, Ana Fernández-Gaxiola, Joaquín Marrón-Ponce, Selene Pacheco-Miranda, Armando García-Guerra, David Quezada, Jason Donovan. On package marketing and nutritional quality of processed maize and wheat-based foods in Mexico City.

Introduction: Marketing of food and beverages to children influences food choices and preferences. International recommendations suggest limiting any form of marketing to children on less healthy foods. The aim of the study was to analyze the use child-directed advertising tactics on package and the nutritional quality of wheat and maize processed foods in two socio-economic areas of Mexico City. Methods: We collected information of wheat and maize processed foods from 58 establishments in Mexico City through photographs to obtain data on advertising tactics directed at children on the packaging. We classified products according to the level process (NOVA classification) and the Mexican nutrient profile model to compare the nutritional quality and the use of advertising tactics across socio-economics areas. Results: 97.7% of products that used advertising tactics directed to children were ultra-processed. The prevalence of child-directed advertising was higher for low socioeconomic area compared to high area (27.0% vs 21.3%). The use of child directed tactics was more frequent in products with excessive sodium (81.5%, p<0.001) or containing non-sugar sweeteners (29.7%, p<0.001). Discussion: Advertising tactics directed to children were more frequent in ultra-processed products. These results were prior to the implementation of the labeling regulation in Mexico, so the prevalence of advertising could be lower. Conclusions: It is necessary to implement public health policies to regulate advertising directed to children on packaging and to improve their nutritional quality.

Carlos Cruz-Casarrubias, Janine Sagaceta-Mejía, Ana Munguía, Regina Durán, Lizbeth Tolentino-Mayo, Alejandra Contreras-Manzano, Simón Barquera. Mejorando el sistema de etiquetado frontal de advertencia en empaques pequeños: Sellos Numéricos.

Introducción: El sistema de sellos numéricos implementado en México es una extensión del sistema de advertencias para informar a los consumidores sobre los excesos de alimentos y bebidas contenidos en empaques pequeños (<40cm2). Sin embargo, existen ciertas limitaciones inherentes a su diseño que podrían limitar su comprensión. Objetivo: Evaluar la comprensión objetiva de los sellos numéricos en población adulta mexicana. Métodos: Este estudio incluyó datos de 8,811 participantes de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición 2021 donde se consultó sobre la comprensión del sistema de sellos numéricos; se presentaron cuatro opciones que mediante sellos numéricos, mostraron la calidad nutrimental de los productos y se solicitó a los participantes seleccionar el producto menos saludable. Resultados: En general, los participantes percibieron a los productos con sellos numéricos como menos saludables en comparación con el producto sin sellos (90.5% vs 9.5%, p<0.001). De acuerdo con la información mostrada en los sellos, la mayor proporción de participantes identificó como el producto menos saludable al que informó sobre la mayor cantidad de sellos (42.4%, IC 95% 41.3-43.4%). Finalmente, 37.8% (IC 95% 36.8-38.8) de los participantes que fue muy fácil responder la pregunta. Discusión: A pesar de las limitaciones en el diseño de la información mostrada en los sellos numéricos (se informa sobre la cantidad de excesos), los resultados soportan su eficacia para identificar productos menos saludables. Conclusión: Los sellos numéricos son una alternativa para mantener la consistencia del sistema de advertencia en productos pequeños y que es necesario incluir estrategias que mejoren su comprensión como las campañas.

Charmaine Metivier, Althea La Foucade, Samuel Gabriel, Vyjanti Beharry, Christine Laptiste, Charmaine Metivier, Karl Theodore, Patricia Edwards-Wescott. Identifying and assessing the determining factors of unhealthy dietary habits among a sample of survey participants in Jamaica.

Objective. To identify and assess the determining factors of unhealthy dietary habits among a sample of survey participants in Jamaica. Methods. Due to resource and other technical constraints, this cross-sectional assessment is based on a three-stage non-probability sample of 374 survey participants in Jamaica aged ≥18 years. Initially, three parishes (administrative areas) were randomly chosen. Then, the primary business districts within the selected parishes were identified, from which a non-probability sample of establishments and organizations was drawn. The sample included public and private, as well as non-governmental organizations. The sample was chosen to ensure that it was as representative as possible. Finally, patrons and all employees in the selected establishments were asked to complete a questionnaire, which included a question about perceived diet quality and the reasons for the reported dietary patterns. Results. Respondents’ self-assessment of their general diet quality disclosed that 48.4% assessed themselves as unhealthy eaters. The leading reasons for their largely unhealthy dietary choices were greater accessibility to unhealthy foods (63.5%) and limited time to prepare healthy meals (61.3%). Furthermore, 52.5% revealed that “unhealthy foods cost less”, and 47.0% identified affordability as prime factors in the unhealthy food choice equation. Findings also showed that the determinants of eating unhealthily varied across income, age, and gender. Female, young, and lower-income respondents have a greater chance of being affected by the factors. Conclusions. The largest proportions of the sample single out limited time to prepare healthy meals and easy access to unhealthy foods as the foremost determinants of unhealthy eating habits. Furthermore, these barriers to healthy eating are more likely to influence survey participants in the 18–34 years age group, among other sub-groups.

Deborah Navarro Rosenblatt, L. Kuhn-Barrientos, C. Castillo-Ibarra C, C. Corvalan-Aguilar. Graphic representation of the front of package label available research: an evidence gap map approach.

Background and aim: Several research related to the development and impact of the different Font of Package Labelling (FoPL) globe has been published. However, there is yet no systematization regarding the literature gaps associated to FoPL. This study aims to categorise the peer-reviewed literature FoPL into a user friendly and interactive evidence map. Methods: We searched six databases until 30th September 2021 for descriptive, analytical or qualitative studies reporting information on FoPL. We characterised and mapped studies onto an Evidence and Gap Map, using the Eppi-Reviewer and Eppi-Mapper programs. The articles were categorised by study design, population age, location, study outcome (consumer, producer and policy formulation), and by FoPL type (Warning Labels, Traffic Lights, Healthy Star Rating, Nutri-Score and Healthy Choices). Results: Out of 1720 records, we mapped 379 articles. Most of the articles used a randomised control study design (38%) and were published in Europe (35%). The FoPL with the most publications was Traffic light or colour-coding food labels (48%). 58% of the studies were published in the adult population. 70% of the articles reported results on consumer outcomes, 9% on producer outcomes and 29% on policy formulation. Conclusion: This map visualises the extent, nature and knowledge gaps of the literature related to FoPL. Further studies should focus where there are more evidence breaches.

Eduardo Augusto Fernandes Nilson, Gerson Ferrari, Maria Laura da Costa Louzada, Renata Bertazzi Levy, Carlos Augusto Monteiro, Leandro F.M. Rezende. Estudo de modelagem de mortes atribuíveis ao consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados no Brasil.

Alimentos ultraprocessados (AUP) estão substituindo dietas tradicionais globalmente e seu consumo está associado ao risco de doenças crônicas não-transmissíveis (DCNTs), como diabetes, doenças cardiovasculares, alguns cânceres, e mortalidade por todas as causas. Desenvolvemos e aplicamos um modelo de análise comparativa de risco para estimar a fração atribuível populacional para a mortalidade por todas as causas atribuível ao consumo de AUP por grupos de sexo e idade. Utilizamos resultados de meta-análises e dados representativos de consumo alimentar, demografia e mortalidade da população brasileira A participação calórica dos AUP no total de energia da dieta variou de 13% a 21% na população adulta brasileira. Estimamos que o consumo de AUP foi responsável por, aproximadamente, 57 mil mortes anuais, ou seja, 22% das mortes prematuras por DCNTs na população de 30 a 69 anos. Se a tendência de aumento no consumo permanecer, e a participação calórica de AUP tornar-se equivalente à do México (29,8%) ou dos Estados Unidos (57%), as mortes atribuíveis poderiam aumentar para 113 mil ou 194 mil por ano, respectivamente. Nossos resultados mostram que o consumo de AUP é um importante fator de risco para mortalidade prematura no Brasil e sua redução deve ser prioridade nas políticas nacionais. O modelo desenvolvido neste estudo pode ser uma ferramenta útil para pesquisadores e formuladores de políticas para compreender o impacto dos AUP sobre a saúde das populações.

Elisabetta Recine, Ana Carolina Feldenheimer da Silva, Paulo Cesar Pereira de Castro Junior, Patricia Chaves Gentil, Andrea Sugai. Aplicação do índice INFORMAS de políticas de ambientes alimentares saudáveis (Food-EPI) no Brasil.

Objetivo: Identificar e comparar nível de implementação de políticas e ações para promoção de ambientes alimentares saudáveis no Brasil, com referência às melhores práticas internacionais e estabelecer prioridades a serem endereçadas ao governo federal. Método: A ferramenta Food-EPI, desenvolvida pela rede INFORMAS, foi aplicada no contexto brasileiro. As informações foram obtidas de documentos governamentais, publicações oficiais e por contato com atores governamentais que verificaram sua integridade e precisão. Um grupo de especialistas da academia, sociedade civil e governo avaliou o nível de implementação das ações listadas em relação às melhores práticas internacionais e apresentaram propostas de aprimoramento. Resultados: Das ações e políticas analisadas quando comparadas com melhores práticas em 14% não foi encontrada ação do governo e 22% foram consideradas como nível baixo de implementação: Promoção dos alimentos, Varejo, Comércio de alimentos/investimentos e Plataforma de interação. As ações consideradas de nível médio alcançaram 46%: Composição de alimentos e Recursos financeiros. Apenas 18% foram consideradas de nível alto: Monitoramento, Liderança e Governança. Dentre as propostas de aprimoramento, 226 foram consideradas prioritárias para implementação pelo governo para tornar o ambiente alimentar mais saudável. Conclusão: O nível de implementação de políticas e ações para promoção de ambientes alimentares saudáveis no Brasil, com referência às melhores práticas, necessita avançar e ser monitorado continuamente. Ressalta-se que há diferenças quanto à priorização das ações nos quesitos importância e factibilidade e a ferramenta de análise se apresenta com potencialidades e desafios na avaliação de ambientes alimentares saudáveis.

Fernanda Mediano, Francesca Dillman Carpentier, Teresa Correa, Camila Corvalan, Marcela Reyes, Lindsey Smith Taillie. Soda television advertisements prevalence and marketing strategies after implementing Chile’s food marketing regulation.

Sugar-sweetened-beverages (SSB) are linked to childhood obesity and are highly advertised. Chile implemented a two-phase food marketing regulation (“regulation” hereafter) for products classified as “high-in” calories, sugar, saturated fat, or sodium to reduce unhealthy food marketing. When fully implemented, the regulation banned child-targeted and daytime advertising of high-in products. This study assesses changes in soda television advertisements prevalence and marketing strategies by regulation status after Chile’s regulation implementation. A marketing content analysis of soda advertisements was conducted in a sample of two randomly constructed weeks of Chilean television at pre-regulation (2016) and regulation phase 2 (2019). Products were classified as “high-in” or “non-high-in” sugar. Sodas accounted for 76% (n=462) and 84% (n=516) of weekly ready-to-drink-beverage ads at pre-regulation and phase 2. According to Fisher’s exact tests, compared to pre-regulation, soda ads featuring non-high-in sodas in phase 2 (83%) increased by 59% (p<.05). Among advertised non-high-in sodas, 100% were sugar-free at pre-regulation. In phase 2, 79.6% were sugar-free, and 20.4% were reduced-in-sugar (M=4.7 g/100 ml). Child-targeted non-high-in soda ads increased by 80.2% (p<.05), and daytime non-high-in soda ads increased by 60.1% (p<.05). After implementing Chile’s regulation, sodas high in sugar were no longer advertised on television, with 99.5% regulation compliance. Companies shifted to promote sugar-free and reduced-in-sugar products, increasing the total and child-targeted soda ads. As advertising has spillover effects, research assessing children’s exposure to and effects of non-high-in soda ads on children is needed.

Fernanda Mediano, Francesca Dillman Carpentier, Jennifer Harris, Lindsey Smith Taillie, Allison J Lazard, Maria Leonora G Comello, Marcela Reyes. The effects of child-directed vs. general audience soda advertisements on children’s attitudes and beverage choices.

Research has shown that child-directed food marketing impacts children’s preferences and behaviors. However, children are often exposed to general audience marketing featuring universal emotional appeals, like friendship and fun, which are attractive across ages. This study examined how sugar-sweetened-soda (SSS) ads with child- vs. non-child-directed appeals influence children’s beverage choices through attitude change. In an online randomized between-subjects experiment (N=416), children 11-12yo living in Chile were exposed to one of three SSS ads (using child- or non-child-directed universal-emotional appeals or non-targeted product appeals). Outcomes included the number of times children chose a soda (0-8) or bottled water (0-5) over another beverage. Children’s attitudes toward the ad and product (1-4) were tested as mediators. We use linear regressions with bootstrapping. Children’s exposure to universal-emotional appeals indirectly increased preferences for sodas (R2= .18, F(4,411)= 23.18, p<.001) and decreased preferences for bottled water (R2= .13, F(4,411)= 15.23, p<.001) by enhancing attitudes toward the ad, then product. Ads with emotional appeals indirectly increased soda preferences (Boot-B= .35, 95%CI:.16, .58), and decreased water preferences (Boot-B= -.17, 95%CI:-.29, -.07), compared to the product-focused ad. No significant differences between child- and non-child-directed ads were found on preferences. Restricting only child-directed strategies may be insufficient protection from food marketing influences, as universal-emotional appeals, rather than child-directed strategies, drove the advertising effects on children in this study. Further, soda ads using emotional appeals may increase soda preferences and decrease preferences for healthier beverages.

Florencia Alcaire Gallo, Leticia Vidal, Leandro Machín, Lucía Antúnez, Ana Giménez, María Rosa Curutchet, Gastón Ares. [no title].

La información incluida en los envases de productos posee un rol crucial en la selección de alimentos. El texto y las imágenes incluidas en los envases pueden generar asociaciones que influyen en la percepción del consumidor sobre cuán saludable es un producto y su intención de compra. En este contexto, el presente trabajo se propuso explorar el uso de referencias a la salud en los envases de productos procesados y ultra-procesados. Se relevaron los envases de 3813 productos encontrados en 4 cadenas de supermercados de Uruguay. Se analizaron el texto y las imágenes incluidos en los envases, así como la composición nutricional de los productos. Los resultados mostraron que el 67% de los productos incluía al menos una referencia a salud dentro de las cuales la presencia de imágenes de ingredientes naturales o mínimamente procesados fue la estrategia más frecuente, seguida de referencias a la naturaleza y alegaciones nutricionales de ingredientes críticos. Se encontró una gran heterogeneidad en la frecuencia de aparición de las referencias a la salud entre las distintas categorías de alimentos (100% a 17%). La relación del contenido nutricional y la presencia de referencias a salud en los envases se analizó mediante la técnica de árboles de regresión con remuestreo, la cual indicó que la presencia de estas referencias no se relacionó con el contenido de nutrientes críticos. Estos resultados evidencian la necesidad de regulaciones más estrictas sobre la inclusión de elementos visuales y textuales vinculados con salud en los envases para proteger a los consumidores de información engañosa.

Gabriela Fretes Centurión, Norbert L.W. Wilson, Camila Corvalán, Christina D. Economos, Sean B. Cash. Understanding food choices in children and adolescents and the tradeoffs among price, nutrition, and environmental sustainability product attributes: A discrete choice experiment.

Introduction: A better understanding of youth as autonomous economic agents in the food market is needed to guide food and nutrition policies because they interface with the food environment to obtain, prepare, and consume food and beverages. The objective of the study was to evaluate the motivations of youth’s purchasing behavior in Santiago, Chile. Methods: We conducted an online discrete choice experiment (DCE) and assessed four different food attributes: price, front-of-package (FOP) nutrition warning label, FOP eco-label and type of product. Data were analyzed using multinomial and mixed logit models complemented with latent class logit models. Results: A total of 329 youth aged 10-14 years participated in the study. About 68% of the sample received pocket money from a family member regularly. We found that youth’s purchasing behavior is mostly determined by price, followed by product type and environmental sustainability as measured by the FOP eco-label. Price was a predictor of choice independent of whether or not youth received pocket money. We further identified five classes (groups) of youth consumers where some exhibited preference for health and nutrition attributes, others for environmental sustainability and others for price. Conclusion: Our findings provide a better understanding of youth as diverse and autonomous consumers in an evolving policy environment.

Giovanna Garrido, Laura Brito Porciuncula, Aline Martins de Carvalho, Nadine Marques Nunes Galbes, Dirce Maria Lobo Marchioni, Marina Maintinguer Norde. A falta de dados oficiais no Brasil prejudica a mensuração da sustentabilidade de sistemas alimentares em nível estadual e municipal.

Introdução: Quantificar a sustentabilidade de sistemas alimentares (SSA) é necessário para o planejamento estratégico. Índices e indicadores podem auxiliar nessa tarefa, mas dependem da disponibilidade de dados oficiais, representativos e acessíveis. O objetivo foi relatar um processo de seleção de indicadores para quantificar a SSA nos estados e capitais brasileiros, evidenciando pontos críticos de melhorias. Métodos: Uma revisão sistematizada da literatura foi conduzida para selecionar indicadores econômicos, sociais, nutricionais e ambientais para SSA. Os indicadores encontrados nos documentos selecionados foram listados e, depois, selecionados se: 1) fosse atual; 2) fosse o melhor representante do fenômeno; 3) existissem dados oficiais e disponíveis no Brasil para seu cálculo em nível estadual e de capitais. Resultados: De 3801 documentos, 201 foram selecionados. Nesses, 153 indicadores foram encontrados e, destes, 31% foram excluídos por falta de dados. Discussão: A falta de dados foi prejudicial à quantificação da SSA quando: a coleta da informação foi interrompida de uma edição da pesquisa para outra (ex.: ausência do mapeamento da agricultura familiar no Brasil no Censo Agropecuário de 2017); a amostra não era representativa para estados e capitais (ex.: o Estudo Nacional de Alimentação e Nutrição Infantil e a pesquisa “Perdas e desperdício de alimentos em cadeias agroalimentares”); o indicador só existia a nível nacional; ou não existiam pesquisas sobre. Conclusão: Fica demonstrada a necessidade da continuidade do mapeamento da agricultura familiar no Brasil, bem como a relevância de pesquisas que permitam quantificar a SSA nas esferas estaduais e municipais para fomentar soluções locais e mais efetivas.

Gisselle Soto, Angélica Ochoa-Avilés, Samuel Escandón, Gabriela Valarezo, Estefany Macera, Diana Baculima, José Córdova, Mayra Lituma. Análisis de declaraciones y estrategias promocionales presentes en el rotulado de alimentos procesados y ultra-procesados en Ecuador.

Los alimentos procesados/ultra-procesados son un factor de obesidad/sobrepeso infantil y de enfermedades no transmisibles. Establecer normas para rotulado y estrategias de marketing dirigidos a niños, es una iniciativa importante que busca regular estas tácticas y promover entornos saludables. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el cumplimiento de las normativas ecuatorianas que regulan el rotulado alimentario: INEN-NTE-1334-1 (rotulado nutricional), INEN-NTE-1334-2 (requisitos de tabla nutricional) e INEN-RTE-022 (requisitos semáforo nutricional) y determinar la proporción de estrategias/declaraciones promocionales más utilizadas en alimentos procesados/ultra-procesados, según el protocolo INFORMAS. Se analizó una muestra de 838 alimentos (284 snacks dulces, 160 snacks salados y 394 bebidas no alcohólicas) de los cuales, por medio de un registro fotográfico, se extrajo información. Se determinó que las normativas de rotulado nutricional INEN se cumplieron en la mayoría de productos (95.7%). Respecto al semáforo nutricional, los alimentos se caracterizaron por “ALTAS” de sodio, azúcar y grasa. Las declaraciones más frecuentes por categoría fueron: snacks dulces “Relacionado con un ingrediente”; snacks salados “Contenido de nutrientes”; bebidas “Otras declaraciones”. Existió un porcentaje considerable de estrategias/caracteres promocionales (promociones, personajes animados, ofertas) en el etiquetado analizado (26.37%). En Ecuador, la mayoría de alimentos procesados/ultra-procesados cumple con los requisitos del rotulado nutricional, sin embargo existe una incidencia preocupante de declaraciones y estrategias en los alimentos expendidos. La evidencia ha demostrado que estas estrategias son influyentes a la hora en que un niño elige su alimento. Es necesario re-evaluar las normativas vigentes y reformularlas de manera en que se rigidice el control sobre alimentos procesados.

Irene Farah, Dalia Stern , Yenisei Ramírez, Nancy López, Carolina Pérez-Ferrer, Brent A. Langellier, M. Arantxa Colchero, Tonatiuh Barrientos. Quality of food and beverage purchases at formal and informal food outlets in Mexico.

Introduction: Compared to the global north, the food retail environment in the global south is more heterogenous and complex, with the informal sector remaining a critical component of the food environment. Methods: We used data from the 2018 National Income and Expenditure Survey in Mexico (n=74,647 households). We categorized food outlets as formal (e.g., supermarkets, convenience stores), informal (e.g., tianguis), and fiscally mixed (e.g., public markets, abarrotes -small neighborhood corner stores-, specialty stores). We calculated the proportion of food and beverage purchases in each household by food outlet (% weight) and estimated the percentage of quantity purchased by food groups at the different food outlets. Results: The largest proportion of food purchases are carried out in abarrotes (37%) and specialty stores (25%). Fiscally mixed outlets represent 70% of purchases, 15% come from the formal sector, and 13% occur in the informal sector. No outlets sell only healthy or unhealthy foods, but rather varying proportions of products. Purchases from fiscally mixed and formal outlets have a higher proportion of unhealthy food groups (abarrotes (43%), convenience stores (59%), and supermarkets (36%)) while purchases at fiscally mixed and informal outlets have a larger proportion of healthy food groups (tianguis (86%), public markets (85%), and specialty stores (81%)). Conclusion: There is no clear categorization of food outlets as healthy or unhealthy in Mexico. Purchases from informal outlets are healthier compared to purchases from the formal sector. Across fiscally mixed outlets, purchases from public markets and specialty stores were healthier compared to purchases from abarrotes.

Isabel Pemjean Contreras, María Luisa Garmendia, Marcela Reyes;,Camila Corvalán. Perfiles de acceso a alimentos en pandemia de hogares con niños, niñas y adolescentes de la ciudad de Santiago de Chile.

El acceso físico a alimentos es uno de los aspectos claves de la calidad alimentaria. En crisis, como la pandemia COVID-19, se altera la provisión de alimentos tanto en cuanto a lugares de compra como al apoyo gubernamental. El presente trabajo describe perfiles de abastecimiento de alimentos de 944 hogares de medios-bajos ingresos del área suroriente de Santiago durante el primer cierre total por COVID-19. Usando análisis de clases latentes se elaboraron perfiles considerando los principales lugares de compra de alimentos y la recepción de beneficios alimentarios estatales antes y durante la pandemia. Se consideraron variables sociodemográficas como predictoras de las probabilidades de los hogares de pertenecer a cada perfil. Se obtuvieron 3 perfiles. Perfil Feria (63%): hogares que compran principalmente en feria y reciben apoyo alimentario estatal. Perfil variado (24,9%): hogares que compran en diferentes tiendas de abastecimiento, incluyendo farmacias y reciben apoyo estatal. Perfil supermercado (12%): compran principalmente en supermercado y no reciben apoyo estatal; único perfil en que hay compra de restaurantes. El perfil “ferias” y “variado” son homogéneos en cuanto a ingresos y educación; sin embargo, el perfil “variado” agrupa hogares con jefatura femenina. En contraste, el perfil “supermercados” concentra hogares de mayores ingresos y educación. La comuna y el tamaño de la familia no variaron entre perfiles. En conclusión, se identifican 3 perfiles de acceso a alimentos durante pandemia que se relacionan con la jefatura, el ingreso y educación de los hogares. El paso siguiente es analizar cómo estos perfiles se relacionan con calidad alimentaria.

Ismael Campos Nonato, Jorge Vargas-Meza, Neha Khandpur, Carlos Cruz-Casarrubias, Simón Barquera, Eduardo Augusto Fernandes-Nilson. Estimated Impact of Warning Labeling in Mexico on Cardiovascular Diseases Mortality: A modelling study.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death in Mexico. The development of CVD is associated with the high consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF). To alert consumers about products that contain excessive amounts of critical nutrients (sodium, saturated fat and energy), Mexico implemented in 2020 a warning labeling system (WL) that included 3 phases of implementation. The objective of this study was to estimate the impact of reducing the consumption of critical nutrients from processed-UPF according to the phases of implementation of the WL on CVD mortality in Mexico. The Integrated Model of Preventable Risk (PRIME) was used to estimate the number of deaths prevented or postponed (DPPs) due to CVD in Mexican adults following two scenarios for each phase of implementation of the WL: A) an optimistic scenario, which considers the reduction of 40% sodium, 30% saturated fat and 15% energy, and B) an intermediate scenario, which includes a reduction of 30% sodium, 25% saturated fat and 10% energy. Analyzing the data, we find that 26,659-30,459 DPPs would be avoided for optimistic scenario, while 18771-22044 DPPs for intermediate scenario. For both scenarios, the highest percentages of DPPs by type of CVD are related coronary heart disease, hypertensive disease and stroke. The results show that if the WL were implemented in accordance with the established of the Mexican Official Standard-051, and the consumption of nutrients was reduced, a significant number of deaths from CVD could be prevented or postponed in Mexico.

Janine Sagaceta Mejia, Daniela García, Carlos Cruz-Casarrubias, Lizbeth Tolentino-Mayo. Uso de estrategias de publicidad, azúcares libres y aditivos en productos para niños de corta edad.

Introducción: Los alimentos complementarios comerciales (ACC) incluyen diferentes productos para niños de corta edad (NCE) (6 y 24 meses). De acuerdo con la literatura, estos productos contienen nutrimentos no saludables. Por lo anterior, se han promovido reglamentaciones para su elaboración y comercialización. Materiales y métodos: Estudio transversal que analizó la prevalencia de estrategias de publicidad e ingredientes disponibles en alimentos y bebidas para NCE disponibles en tiendas de la Ciudad de México, durante enero-marzo 2017. Se registraron y clasificaron estrategias de publicidad presentes en el empaque. Se identificaron aditivos declarados en la lista de ingredientes. Resultados: De los 164 ACC, 62.2% fueron papillas, 17.7% jugos/néctares, 17.1% cereales y 3.1% agua. Las estrategias de publicidad más frecuentes fueron personajes (93.3%) y páginas de internet (92.7%). La proporción de productos con azúcares libres fue 100% en jugos/néctares, 96.4% de cereales y 44.1% de papillas. No se encontró relación entre la mediana de elementos de publicidad y presencia de azúcares libres pero si con la mediana de aditivos, específicamente en papillas. Discusión de resultados: El uso de personajes fue la estrategia más frecuente, la evidencia sugiere que incentivan la compra/consumo de ACC. Por otro lado, Diferentes recomendaciones internacionales sugieren reducir la ingesta de azúcares en etapas tempranas de la vida. Sin embargo, la mayoría de los ACC disponibles en tiendas comerciales contienen azúcares libres. Conclusiones: Es necesario impulsar políticas que restrinjan la publicidad en los empaques de ACC y limitar el uso de aditivos y otros ingredientes de interés para la salud como azúcares libres.

Juliana de Paula Matos, Michele Bittencourt Rodrigues, Camila Kümmel Duarte, Paula Martins Horta. Estratégias publicitárias usadas por empresas de alimentos nas mídias sociais: o que os estudos de monitoramento têm mostrado?

Introdução: As mídias sociais são usadas por empresas de alimentos para promover seus produtos. O monitoramento de conteúdo comercial nesses espaços é uma prática essencial de saúde pública, devido à associação entre exposição à publicidade de alimentos e obesidade. Assim, objetivou-se identificar as estratégias investigadas por estudos observacionais de monitoramento da publicidade de alimentos nas mídias sociais. Métodos: Trata-se de revisão sistemática (CRD42020187740) cuja busca foi realizada nas bases EMBASE, MEDLINE, Web of Science e Scopus (maio de 2021). As estratégias publicitárias extraídas das publicações foram organizadas em grupos com temáticas, com base nas definições usadas pelos autores ou outras disponíveis em protocolos de coleta de dados de marketing de alimentos. Resultados: Foram identificadas 6.093 citações, sendo 26 incluídas nesta revisão. Oito grupos de estratégias publicitárias usadas por empresas de alimentos em mídias sociais foram identificados: recursos de postagem (75,0%), conectividade e engajamento (75,0%), vantagens econômicas, brindes ou concursos (58,3%), apelos (58,3%), personagens promocionais (50,0%), marca em evidência (33,3%), responsabilidade social empresarial ou filantropia (29,2%) e COVID-19 (12,5%). Discussão: Conhecer as estratégias comumente investigadas em estudos de monitoramento da publicidade de alimentos pode contribuir para o desenho de novas ferramentas com este fim e em proposições de novos termos regulatórios de restrição da publicidade de alimentos online. Conclusão: Uma variedade de estratégias utilizadas pela indústria de alimentos tem sido investigada, sobretudo de recursos de postagens, conectividade e engajamento.

Lorena Saavedra-Garcia, Mayra Meza-Hernández, Francisco Diez-Canseco, Lindsey Smith Taillie. Reformulation of Top-Selling Foods and Beverages in the Peruvian Food Supply after Front-of-Package Warning Label Policy implementation.

Introduction: Front-of-package warning labels (FOPL) policies incentivize food industry to reduce the product content of regulated nutrients. We explored changes in the content of nutrients of concern, and the percent of products that would carry a FOPL in the Peruvian food supply before and after Peru’s implementation of FOPL warning labels.
Methods: Longitudinal data on the top-selling foods and beverages were collected at three-time points: 4 months before the implementation, 4 months after implementation, and 2 years after implementation of the FOPL policy (June 2019). Using the nutritional information declared on products’ label, we compared quantities of nutrients of concern (sugar, saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium) and the percentage of foods that would carry a FOPL at each time point. Results: 94 products were evaluated (30.9% beverages). Between the first and the third collection, a decrease in the median sugar content of beverages was observed (p-value=0.005), accompanied by an increase in the use of NNS. This change drove the reduction of the proportion of beverages that would carry a FOPL (31 to 59%, p=0.011). Among foods, decreases were observed in saturated fat (p=0.002) and trans fats (p=0.021). The proportion of foods that would carry a FOPL declined from pre- to post-implementation (82% to 62%, p<0.001). Discussion and conclusion: The study shows industry reformulated products in Peru after implementation of its FOPL warning label policy.

Lorena Saavedara-Garcia, Ximena Taboada, Akram Hernández-Vásquez, Francisco Diez-Canseco. Marketing techniques, health, and nutritional claims on processed products before and after Peruvian front-of-package warning labels policy implementation.

Introduction: In June 2019 mandatory front-of-package warning labels (FOPL) were implemented in Peru. The aim was to describe changes in marketing techniques (MT), health (HC), and nutritional claims (NC) on packaging of products frequently consumed by children before and after the FOPL implementation. Methods: Product photos were taken pre- (March 2019) and post-implementation (March-October 2020) in three supermarkets in Lima. Following INFORMAS protocols and Peruvian Technical Norms, the presence of MT, HC, and NC was assessed on all package sides. Products were classified as “high-in” and “non-high-in” according to parameters for regulated nutrients. Differences in the proportions of products with each strategy in both periods were evaluated. Results: We included 883 and 1035 products in pre- and post-implementation, respectively. In both periods MT were frequent in almost 70% of overall products. The presence of HC increased significantly only in beverages (24.5% to 38.1%, p<0.001). In both phases, NC were especially used among beverages (>80%). Overall products “high-in” increased the use of MT (73.6% to 82.1%, p=0.007); while “non-high-in” increased HC (32.9% to 41.6%, p<0.001). Discussion and conclusion: There is a high frequency of MT on overall products and NC on beverages. The increase in MT in “high-in” products could be interpreted as an industry response to minimize the impact of the FOPL on food choices and sales. New regulatory aspects regarding labeling should be implemented to strengthen the current policy.

Maria Andrea Santos Guzman, Mishel Unar Munguía, Pedro Mota-Castillo. Nutritional composition and claims of formulas and baby food in Mexico: non-compliance with international recommendations.

Introduction: Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, and continued breastfeeding with adequate complementary feeding is the best way to feed young children. Formulas and baby food are processed products that contain critical ingredients that influence unhealthy eating habits and increase the risk of diseases. Marketing of these products contain misleading claims that non-comply with the international recommendations. Purpose: Analyze the nutritional composition and claims of formulas and baby food in Mexico. Determine the percentage of products that exceeds critical nutrient limits (added sugars, protein, sodium and trans fats) according to international recommendations, and that non-comply the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (the Code) and the WHO recommendations. Methods: We identified infant formulas (0-6 months), follow-on formulas (6-12 months), growing-up milk (+12 months) and commercial food and beverages for children 6-36 months (baby food) available for purchase in online-stores in Mexico. We compared the nutritional content (added sugars, protein, sodium and trans fats) per 100 kcal of prepared product reported in their labels with nutrient limits recommended by International Organizations. We analyzed nutrition and health claims in online sites where the product was offered for sale, and compared with the Code’s provisions. Descriptive statistical analyses are presented. Results: We analyzed the nutritional content of 136 formulas and 215 baby food products. Follow-on formulas had the highest proportion of products exceeding sugar limits (73.9%) and growing-up milk had the highest proportion of products exceeding total fats (72.2%). We found non-compliance with the upper limits of protein in all formula categories. Baby fruit and meat porridge were the most non-compliant baby food products in terms of sugar (95.1%) and sodium (90.0%), respectively. We analyzed 2,204 online store links, and 92.9% had claims suggesting that the product is nutritionally adequate, in addition to other statements that idealized the consumption of these products, therefore breaching the Code. Conclusion: Formulas and baby food contain excess sugars, protein, sodium or fats but are promoted as safe and healthy alternatives to breastmilk and natural foods. Strengthening regulation of the nutrimental content and labeling of these products, and better monitoring strategies are needed to safeguard breastfeeding and healthy nutrition for children.

María Elisa Zapata, Alicia Rovirosa, Esteban Carmuega. Tendencia temporal y diferencias en el consumo de energía y nutrientes críticos según categorización NOVA en Argentina.

Existe una creciente evidencia de la transición global en los sistemas alimentarios, que afectan la disponibilidad, accesibilidad, asequibilidad y conveniencia de los alimentos altamente procesados. El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar el consumo aparente de energía, grasas saturadas, azúcares agregados y sodio según el grado de procesamiento de los alimentos en la Argentina entre 1996 y 2018 y según nivel de ingreso. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo y transversal, con datos de gastos de alimentos y bebidas e ingresos de la Encuesta Nacional de Gastos de los Hogares de 1996-97, 2004-05, 2012-13 y 2017-18, que incluye más de 20.000 hogares en cada período. Se calculó el consumo aparente diario de energía, grasas saturadas, azúcares agregados y sodio por adulto equivalente de cada categoría NOVA, para cada periodo y según el quintil de ingresos per cápita del hogar. Se realizó análisis estadístico descriptivo. Resultados: Se observó la reducción en el porcentaje de energía proveniente de alimentos mínimamente procesados (-9%), ingredientes culinarios (-23%) y alimentos procesados (-8%) y el aumento de productos ultraprocesados (+56%). La misma tendencia se observó para grasas saturadas, azúcares agregados y sodio. La contribución de los ultraprocesados aumenta a medida que se incrementan los ingresos del hogar pero con diferencias que disminuyen a lo largo del tiempo. Conclusiones: Las políticas futuras en Argentina deberían promover el consumo de alimentos mínimamente procesados y desalentar la disponibilidad y accesibilidad de alimentos ultraprocesados, con especial énfasis en los grupos más vulnerados.

Maria Isabel Valero Morales, Jorge Vargas-Meza, Joaquín Marrón-Ponce, Carlos Cruz-Casarrubias, Claudia Nieto-Orozco, Lizbeth Tolentino-Mayo, Simón Barquera, Lilia S Pedraza. Sodium content and level of compliance with the 2022 PAHO sodium targets among the food products in Mexico.

A gradual sodium reduction in food products could help reduce chronic diseases. The objective of this study was to determine: 1) the sodium content in the top purchased processed food in Mexico grouped into 16 categories, 2) the percentage of processed food that meet the criteria of the updated Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Regional Sodium Reduction Targets for 2022 and 3) differences in mean sodium content of available food categories from a sample collected in 2017. Our main analyses included 473 products from NutrINSPector, a digital system that collected data from the packages of processed foods in 2020, before the implementation of the front-of-pack warning labels. We found a high sodium content in foods, which varied among the categories. The food categories with the highest median sodium content, expressed as mg/100g or ml, were savory biscuits and crackers (1230, p25-p75: 890-1266), followed by spicy sauces (800, p25-p75: 640-800) and chips, popcorn, and snacks (766, p25=p75: 550-966). Overall, 28% of the products met the sodium targets however, we found categories that did not comply with any sodium targets (i.e., plain pasta and noodles and tomato sauce). When we compare mean sodium content between 2017 and 2020, we found a significant decrease in breakfast cereals, nuts and seeds, and pasta and noodles, plain and flavored, but a non-significant increase in the savory biscuits and crackers category. Our results suggested a possible decrease in sodium content for some groups, but high levels of sodium content remain prevalent among all the food groups.

María Jesús Vega Salas, Claudia Murray, Richard Nunes, Alessandra Hidalgo-Arestegui, Katherine Curi-Quinto, Mary E. Penny, Santiago Cueto, Julie Anne Lovegrove, Alan Sánchez, Karani Santhanakrishnan Vimaleswaran. School environments and obesity: A systematic review of interventions among school age students in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This review presents the available evidence underpinning interventions likely to reduce, mitigate and/or prevent obesity among schoolchildren in LAC by modifying the food and built environments within and around schools. Two independent reviewers searched five databases: MEDLINE, WoS, Cochrane Library, Scopus and LILACS for peer-reviewed literature published since January 2000 to September 2021. Searches and screening included prospective studies published in English, Spanish or Portuguese. Data extraction and quality assessment was conducted using the RoB 2 and the ROBINS-I tools and following the PRISMA-2020 guidelines. Due to the heterogeneity of intervention’s characteristics and obesity-related measurements across studies, a narrative synthesis was conducted. 1346 research papers were screened, and nine studies were included; four in Mexico, and one each in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador. Four studies reported strategies for modifying food provision; four other targeted the built environment, (modifying school premises and providing materials for physical activity), and a final study included both food and built environment intervention components. Overall, two studies reported that the intervention was significantly associated with a lower increase over time in BMI/obesity in the intervention compared with control group.
Data suggests school environmental interventions, complementing nutritional and physical activity education, can contribute to reduce increases of childhood obesity. However, evidence of the extent to which food and built environmental components factor into obesogenic environments, within and around school grounds is inconclusive. Further studies assessing the effectiveness of school environmental interventions to inform policies for preventing/reducing childhood obesity in LAC are needed.

Mariel White, Ximena Zarate, Ana Paula Bonner, Claudia Nieto, Karimen Leon, Liz Tolentino, Romain Sibille, Natalia Valdés, Brandon Rodriguez, Sebastián Joya, Simón Barquera. Development of a Toolkit to evaluate food retail environments and its application in Mexico.

Introduction: In 2020, we designed and piloted a Toolkit with a methodology to characterize marketing strategies among basic and non-basic food groups in stores. Methods: The Toolkit was developed via a systematic review, survey of food retailers, and instrument search. The methodology was piloted in six supermarkets in five Latin American countries in December 2020. Subsequently, it was applied in Mexico in 96 stores, including 12 stores from eight cities. Data was collected using Google Forms. The Toolkit included 16 indicators across six domains. Food groups were categorized as basic (healthy) and non-basic (less healthy). Results: Among fruits and vegetables, over 50% of stores did not have promotional strategies (PS) or discounts and 90% did not have cartoon characters (CC). Over 50% had only one location. For seeds and nuts, nearly 80% did not have PS or discounts and none had CC. Regarding water, 73% of stores did not have PS, 69% had discounts, 71% did not have CC, and 45% had 3+ locations. Considering minimally processed cereals, 74% of stores did not have PS, 75% had discounts, 37% had CC, and over 50% had one location, while 15% had 3+ locations. Among processed breakfast cereals, 23% of stores did not have any PS or discounts, although 62% had CC and 18% had 3+ locations. Considering chocolates and cookies, 14% of stores did not have PS or discounts, 82% did not have CC, and 40% had 3+ locations. For regular soda, 44% did not have PS, 83% had discounts, 2% had CC, and over 75% had 3+ locations. Lastly, for chips, 64% did not have PS, 60% had discounts, 5% had CC, and 75% had 3+ locations. Conclusion: Food retail environments in Mexico are saturated with diverse promotions that encourage the purchase of unhealthy foods, which are better promoted and positioned than healthy foods.

Mariel White, Ximena Zarate, Ana Paula Bonner, Diana Sansores, Karimen Leon, Liz Tolentino, Simón Barquera. An evaluation of online food retail in Mexico: Marketing strategies used by 3 largest supermarkets during a holiday vs. non-holiday period.

Introduction: We evaluated the online marketing strategies used by the top three largest supermarkets in Mexico on their centralized websites during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study of the websites of three Mexican supermarkets were carried out to compare promotions during a holiday vs. non-holiday period. Foods and beverages were classified as recommended and non-recommended according to their nutritional characteristics. A test of proportions was carried out for type of food group between the two periods using Stata 14. Results: Of the total number of products (N= 5,232), 90% were not recommended. Recommended products were promoted equally in both periods. Differences between periods were found for three non-recommended products: salty snacks were promoted more during the holiday while sugar-free drinks and flavored yogurt were promoted more during the non-holiday period. Price strategies were found in 53% of the products (87% not recommended). Discounts were the most frequently utilized, especially among sweet snacks and sugary beverages. Strategies targeting children and teenagers were found in 52% of the products (93% not recommended). The most popular was cartoon characters, mainly in sweet snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages. In general, price strategies were mainly used during the non-holiday period and during the holiday, strategies aimed at children were intensified. Conclusion: Retailers use marketing strategies to promote less healthy products, especially with price strategies and those directed at children and adolescents. The types of marketing used in online food retail should be closely monitored and regulated to restrict strategies on products that are harmful to health.

Michele Bittencourt Rodrigues, Luísa Helena Vieira Martins, Juliana de Paula Matos, Larissa Loures Mendes, Paula Martins Horta. Publicidade em aplicativo de delivery de alimentos nas macrorregiões brasileiras durante a pandemia de COVID-19.

Introdução: A pandemia de COVID-19 impulsionou o uso dos aplicativos de delivery de alimentos (ADAs). Visto o impacto da publicidade de alimentos nas escolhas alimentares, releva-se o estudo dos anúncios promocionais presentes nos ADAs no Brasil. Métodos: Estudo descritivo de uma amostra (n=1.754) representativa dos anúncios publicados no principal ADA nas capitais brasileiras em 26 e 29/03/2020 durante o almoço e jantar. Os anúncios foram classificados quanto à presença de grupos de alimentos e estratégias de marketing. Os resultados foram apresentados pelas cinco macrorregiões brasileiras. Resultados: Observou-se maior número de anúncios no Sudeste (n=94) e menor no Norte (n=29). Anúncios de ‘sanduíches’ (29,8%), ‘bebidas ultraprocessadas’ (21,3%) e ‘pizzas’ (20,3%) foram mais frequentes no Centro-oeste; Nordeste e Sudeste, respectivamente. Quanto a oferta de alimentos saudáveis, ‘Pratos de refeições e/ou massas’ foi o mais frequente apenas no Nordeste (24,8%). Os anúncios de ‘legumes’, ‘frutas’, ‘sucos naturais ou vitaminas’ e ‘água’ estiveram abaixo de 5%. ‘Foto’ e ‘desconto’ estiveram presentes em >90% dos anúncios e ‘mensagens de economia’ em 16,7%. Discussão: A publicidade presente no ADA promove o consumo alimentar não saudável. As particularidades identificadas entre as macrorregiões possivelmente estão relacionadas às diferenças sociodemográficas, econômicas e culturais. Os resultados ampliam a compreensão do ambiente alimentar digital dos ADAs no Brasil e podem orientar políticas públicas. Conclusão: Na fase inicial da pandemia de COVID-19 no Brasil, o principal ADA promoveu predominantemente alimentos não saudáveis, através de distintas estratégias promocionais.

Miriam Alvarado. Assessing the Barbados SSB Tax: Findings from a mixed method evaluation study.

Introduction: The Government of Barbados introduced a 10% excise tax on SSBs in 2015. Methods: We evaluated the Barbados SSB tax with the aims of assessing 1) price change, 2) sales change, 3) how the tax design compared with pre-tax SSB consumption patterns, and 4) whether the introduction of the tax conveyed information about the health risks of SSBs (i.e. through a risk signalling effect). We used a mixed methods approach and analysed data from a major grocery store chain, a nationally representative cross-sectional survey, interviews with members of the public and archived media data. Results: The tax was associated with an increase in the price of SSBs and a decrease in SSB sales, after controlling for pre-existing time trends, seasonality and other time-varying confounders. Prices of non-SSBs did not change and sales of non-SSBs were estimated to have increased. However, the tax only covered around 60% of regularly-consumed SSB-related free sugars and did not clearly differentiate between high- and low-sugar SSBs. The tax may have conveyed additional information about the health risks of sodas but not sugar-sweetened juice drinks. We found evidence to suggest that the introduction of an SSB tax may encourage industry to respond by increasing advertising around SSBs (diminishing any potential risk signal) and/or introducing new low-cost SSBs (diminishing any potential price effect). Conclusion: Overall, the Barbados SSB tax may have reduced consumption of taxed SSBs but had several unexpected effects, with important implications from a health perspective.

Mônica Cambraia Barbosa, Letícia Silva do Carmo, Juliana de Paula Matos, Luana Caroline dos Santos, Paula Martins Horta. Substitutos do leite materno no Brasil: como as principais marcas aparecem no Instagram?

Introdução: Mídias sociais são plataformas populares usadas pela indústria de substitutos do leite materno (SLM) para promoção de seus produtos, incentivo da compra online, com consequente estímulo ao desmame precoce. Objetivo: Caracterizar as páginas do Instagram de marcas de SLM no Brasil. Métodos: Estudo exploratório dos perfis oficiais de Instagram das marcas de fórmulas infantis e compostos lácteos das quatro empresas com maior volume de vendas no país, segundo a literatura. Incluiu-se as páginas das marcas que não eram produtos para fins especiais. As informações ‘número de publicações’, ‘número de seguidores’, ‘presença de link para outros sites’ e ‘direcionamento para canais de compra’ foram coletadas entre novembro/2021 a janeiro/2022. Resultados: As empresas possuíam 17 marcas que atendiam aos critérios de inclusão do estudo. Dessas, 8 possuíam páginas no Instagram, abrangendo 10 compostos lácteos e 6 fórmulas infantis. Essas páginas somavam 529 postagens e 184.605 seguidores. Links estavam presentes em 75% das páginas, que em 100% direcionavam para canais de compra dos produtos. Discussão: O elevado número de postagens e de seguidores das páginas denotam tanto o investimento da indústria em publicidade digital como a popularidade das páginas. Isso indica um novo ambiente a ser monitorado visando desenvolver legislações regulatórias específicas. Conclusão: Evidenciou-se a presença da indústria de SLM no Instagram no Brasil e o estímulo dado à compra desses produtos nessa plataforma. Monitorar essa prática e denunciar condutas ilegais é fundamental para proteger o aleitamento materno.

Najla de Oliveira Cardozo, Alex Harley Crisp, Angela Cristina Bizzotto Trude, Yudi Paulina Garcia Ramirez, Maria Rita Marques de Oliveira. Ambiente alimentario en el entorno de las escuelas básicas municipales de una ciudad brasileña antes y durante de la pandemia del COVID-19.

INTRODUCIÓN La pandemia de COVID-19 afectó los entornos alimentarios en América Latina. En Brasil, el aumento del consumo de alimentos ultraprocesados puede estar relacionado con el exceso de peso corporal en los escolares. OBJETIVO analizar la publicidad y la disponibilidad de alimentos en el entorno alimentario escolar a partir de las ventas alrededor de las escuelas de una ciudad mediana del sureste de Brasil antes y durante la pandemia de COVID-19. METODOLOGIA Estudio observacional realizado en dos momentos (febrero de 2020 y noviembre de 2021), en tres escuelas primarias municipales de regiones socioeconómicas vulnerables. Se realizaron auditorías en 32 ventas (mercados, panaderías, carnicerías) con la herramienta AUDITNOVA y los alimentos comercializados de acuerdo con la clasificación NOVA. Además, se realizó una observación directa registrada en diarios de campo. Los cambios en las puntuaciones se analizaron mediante la prueba de Wilconxon (SPSS versión 13.0). Las observaciones fueron transcritas y se recopiló como ideas principales en memos. RESULTADOS Y DISCUSIÓN Tanto la disponibilidad de alimentos como la publicidad no mostraron diferencias estadísticas antes y durante la pandemia (p > 0,05). De los datos cualitativos se destacó: la falta de alimentos (manzanas y alimentos integrales) y los anuncios patrocinados por empresas de alimentos ultraprocesados. Sin embargo, debido al tamaño de la muestra, se sugieren estudios más amplios. CONCLUSIÓN Se observó que la escasa comercialización de alimentos frescos antes y durante la pandemia evidencia la necesidad de vigilar y restringir la venta y publicidad de alimentos ultraprocesados en el entorno escolar.

Natalia Isadora Rebolledo Fuentealba, Maxime Bercholz, Camila Corvalan, Shu Wen Ng, Lindsey Smith Taillie. Changes in the Sweetness of Beverages Purchased Before and After Chile’s Law on Food Labelling and Advertising.

Introduction: The implementation of Chile’s law led to decreases in the sugar content and increases in nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS) used in packaged products. NNSs have higher sweetness intensities than sugars, and it is unknown if the sweetness of purchased beverages changed after implementing the law’s first phase. Methods: We used longitudinal household purchase data (n>2000 households) and developed three sweetness indices: 1) NNS sweetness calculated from the six most consumed NNS in Chile; 2) total sugars sweetness, including the sweetness from total sugars; and 3) total sweetness, combining NNS and sugars sweetness. We compared the observed three sweetness indices from post-law purchases to a counterfactual constructed based on pre-law trends using fixed-effects models. Results: Relative to the predicted counterfactual, NNS sweetness increased by 34.5%, while total sugars sweetness decreased by 14.5% after the law. There was no change in the total sweetness of beverage purchases. Discussion: Compared to its counterfactual, the total sweetness of beverage purchases did not change after the law. This occurred because the absolute increase in NNS sweetness was almost completely counterbalanced by the decreases in total sugar sweetness. Our findings suggest that the beverage industry can replace sugars with NNS but not increase the sweetness of beverages. Conclusion: Our findings show that Chilean buyers were exposed to similar total sweetness levels in their beverages after the law. Future research should explore whether sweetness also remained consistent in purchased foods.

Nayhanne Gomes Cordeiro, Luana Lara Rocha, Mariana Zogbi Jardim, Aline Yukari Kurihayashi, Patricia Gentil, Giorgia Russo, Larissa Loures Mendes. As medidas regulatórias brasileiras promovem uma alimentação adequada e saudável no ambiente alimentar escolar?

Introdução: Medidas regulatórias voltadas para a alimentação no ambiente escolar visam promover um ambiente alimentar mais saudável em escolas públicas e privadas. No Brasil, a implementação de regulamentações voltadas para o ambiente alimentar escolar não ocorre de maneira similar nos estados e municípios e não há nenhuma lei nacional sobre a temática que abrange as escolas públicas e privadas. O presente estudo tem como objetivo descrever as medidas regulatórias de estados e cidades brasileiras voltadas para o ambiente alimentar escolar e desenvolver um escore para avaliá-las. Foi realizada a busca sistematizada das medidas regulatórias vigentes e implementadas até o ano de 2021, para posterior caracterização e análise utilizando o escore. A elaboração do escore para a análise documental de dispositivos legais que regulamentam o ambiente alimentar escolar brasileiro foi feita a partir do projeto de Lei modelo elaborado pelo Instituto de Defesa do Consumidor. Foram encontradas 65 medidas regulatórias municipais e estaduais em vigência. Na pontuação final do escore, 12,31% dessas medidas cumpriam a função de promoção da alimentação adequada e saudável. As crianças e adolescentes brasileiros estão expostos a um ambiente alimentar escolar com regulamentações que cumprem parcialmente a função de promover a alimentação adequada e saudável. Nesse sentido, é necessária a reformulação das medidas regulatórias, ou o incentivo aos estados e municípios para a elaboração de dispositivos legais eficientes que estejam em sintonia com o guia alimentar para a população brasileira, para que haja a efetiva promoção da alimentação adequada e saudável nas escolas.

Paloma Aparecida Anastacio Barros, Juliana de Paula Matos, Michele Bittencourt Rodrigues, Paula Martins Horta. Estratégias de comunicação mercadológica adotadas pela principal empresa de aplicativo de delivery de alimentos do Brasil nas mídias sociais nos últimos 10 anos.

Introdução: As empresas de aplicativos de delivery de alimentos (ADA) promovem seus serviços em mídias sociais, onde alcançam ampla interação e engajamento com o público. Esses aplicativos possibilitam a compra de alimentos on-line, principalmente não saudáveis. Objetivo: Analisar as estratégias de comunicação mercadológicas adotadas pela principal empresa de ADA no Brasil em mídias sociais entre 2011-2020. Métodos: Foram selecionadas todas as postagens publicadas pelo Ifood no Facebook (n=2460) e Instagram (n=799) até 31/12/2020. O protocolo para coleta das estratégias foi baseado na literatura de monitoramento de marketing de alimentos em diferentes mídias e foi aplicado em uma subamostra de 10% das postagens (n=339). Resultados: As estratégias mais frequentemente utilizadas pela empresa foram fotos/imagens (77,29%), elementos da marca (71,68%) e hashtags (37,76). As interações aconteciam por meio de conversas com usuários (26,84%), uso de emoticons (20,06%) e marcação de usuários (18,58%). Links externos (56,93) e marcação de empresa de alimentos (9,14%) foram utilizados para direcionar a compra ou a divulgação de conteúdos relacionados. Cerca de 17% das postagens continham a representação de indivíduos, principalmente adultos (87,72%). Discussão: As estratégias identificadas podem ampliar e melhorar o relacionamento consumidor-empresa. O contato com os usuários das mídias sociais permite à empresa conhecer as necessidades e preferências do público e direcionar novas ações de marketing. Conclusão: Notou-se a ampla atuação do principal ADA no Brasil nas mídias sociais, por meio do uso de estratégias de autopromoção, interação e engajamento com o público. Ademais, as postagens direcionavam o usuário ao aplicativo e divulgavam serviços parceiros.

Paola Villaverde Montes de Oca, Lizbeth Tolentino-Mayo, Tania Aburto, Carlos Cruz-Casarrubias, Simón Barquera. Impact of the Mexican Front-of-pack labelling (FOPL) regulation on critical nutrients intake.

Background: The evidence supports FOPL allows consumers to distinguish quickly healthy from unhealthy products. We assessed the estimated impact of the FOPL regulation on Mexican population intake of critical nutrients (energy, saturated fat, trans-fat, added sugar and sodium). Methods: The content of critical nutrients in processed food was evaluated according to the FOPL regulation. For the replacement 3 scenarios were stablished. Scenario 1: The current consumption of Mexican Population. Scenario 2: The replacement during the 1st phase of the regulation. Scenario 3: The replacement in the 2nd and 3rd phase. We estimated the means, confidence intervals and the mean percentage change of critical nutrients. Results: In the 1st phase, the most labeled nutrient was energy, whereas in the 2nd and 3rd phase was sodium. In contrast, trans-fat was the least in both phases. After the replacement, we observed a reduction on energy (15.5 %), saturated fat (-19.7%), trans-fat (-8.3%) and sodium (-12.7%) intake. The most important reduction was observed for added sugar (-53.1). Discussion: In Mexico different strategies has been implemented to enhance the dietary quality of the population. The FOPL advantage is that can be monitored and enforced and have the possibility to change the cultural norms that regulates consumer the demand, thus food supply over the time. Conclusions: FOPL seems to be an effective strategy to decreased the consumption of critical nutrients. These results support that FOPL might help Mexican population to choose healthier nutrition alternatives.

Patricia Galvez Espinoza, Lorena Rodriguez, Daniel Egaña, Paulina Molina, Rodrigo Villegas. Conociendo los ambientes alimentarios a través de las percepciones en hogares de una comuna chilena.

Introducción: Los ambientes alimentarios son determinantes de la conducta alimentaria y estado nutricional. Chile ha propuesto un modelo de 5 ambientes alimentarios: institucional/organizacional, abastecimiento, restauración, doméstico y vía pública. Es escasa la información respecto de la percepción de estos ambientes. Objetivo: Describir las percepciones de los ambientes alimentarios en una muestra de hogares chilenos. Metodología: Estudio transversal, no probabilístico. Se aplicó el cuestionario NEMS-P adaptado a Chile, mediante llamadas telefónicas a 200 personas encargadas de la compra de alimentos. Resultados: 89,5% fueron mujeres, edad promedio 43,2 años (11,8 DE). 44,5% percibe tener siempre disponibles alimentos saludables en su hogar; 65% percibe disponibilidad de bebidas gaseosas, 81% de cecinas y 49% de snacks salados. 73% indica facilidad para encontrar frutas y verduras frescas en su vecindario; 37,5% indica que es difícil encontrar alimentos sin sello “Alto en”. El supermercado es el lugar donde más compran alimentos y más del 50% considera que en este ambiente es muy fácil encontrar alimentos poco saludables. 77% indica comer fuera del hogar y 35,9% indica que en este ambiente no hay variedad de opciones saludables. 63% percibe que no hay venta de alimentos saludables en la calle y 72,5% indica que además en este ambiente la publicidad promueve el consumo de alimentos no saludables. Conclusión: La percepción de los ambientes alimentarios indica que la mayor parte son obesogénicos. Se requieren políticas públicas que mejoren el acceso a alimentos saludables.

Paula Virginia Gomez, Tamburini Camila, Rodríguez García Vanesa, Chamorro Verónica, Carmuega Esteban.. Estrategias de marketing en sitos web/ redes sociales de marcas de alimentos consumidos por niños, niñas y adolescentes en Argentina.

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Paula Virginia Gomez, Tamburini Camila, Ferenc Marina, Carmuega Esteban. Mapeo de puntos de venta y publicidad de alimentos alrededor de las escuelas públicas en la provincia de buenos aires.

Introducción: La obesidad infantil es un problema de salud pública a nivel mundial y el entorno alimentario es uno de los factores condicionantes. El objetivo fue mapear los puntos de venta y la publicidad de alimentos/bebidas (AB) alrededor de las escuelas primarias públicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (PBA). Métodos: Se seleccionaron aleatoriamente 32 escuelas primarias públicas relevadas por la Encuesta de Servicio Alimentario Escolar 2019 de PBA. Utilizando Google Street View® se recorrió un radio de 300m alrededor de cada escuela. Se registraron puntos de venta de AB, categorizando como no saludables a los kioscos, locales de comida rápida, panaderías, estaciones de servicio y heladerías. Las publicidades de AB relevadas en el exterior se clasificaron según el sistema de OMS Europa, el cual establece la posibilidad de publicitarse. Resultados: De los 774 puntos de venta identificados, el 63% correspondió a AB no saludables y de las 550 publicidades identificadas, el 72% de los AB no puede publicitarse, el 21% puede hacerlo con criterios de umbral límite para nutrientes críticos y sólo el 7% está permitido. Alrededor de cada escuela se mapearon en promedio 15±11 puntos de venta y 17±16 publicidades de AB. Las categorías de AB más publicitadas fueron bebidas industrializadas, helados y bebidas energéticas. Conclusiones: El entorno alimentario de las escuelas de PBA predomina la oferta y promoción de alimentos de baja calidad nutricional. Por ello, es fundamental promover acciones que los regulen con la finalidad de favorecer hábitos saludables y prevenir obesidad.

Regina Durán, Carlos Cruz-Casarrubias, Lizbeth Tolentino-Mayo, Simón Barquera. Financiamiento y conflicto de intereses en la evidencia científica utilizada durante la modificación del etiquetado de alimentos en México.

En México, recientemente se modificó el etiquetado de productos y bebidas pre-envasados. Para esto, se llevó a cabo una consulta pública donde se recibieron comentarios de las partes interesadas, algunos comentarios estaban sustentados por artículos científicos. Comúnmente, la industria alimentaria (IA) hace uso de algunas prácticas para influenciar la política pública de salud a su favor, algunas prácticas son financiar investigación científica y establecer relaciones con líderes de opinión, generando conflictos de interés (CDI). En este estudio transversal, caracterizamos el CDI y financiamiento en los artículos científicos utilizados durante la consulta pública de la modificación del etiquetado de alimentos, los grupos de actores que los utilizaron y la postura en los que fueron emitidos. Del total de comentarios recibidos, 24% (n=188) utilizaron artículos científicos, 37.2% de ellos fueron emitidos por la academia. En total, se utilizaron 1091 artículos científicos, 33.5% no contenían declaración de financiamiento y 30.2% no contenían declaración de CDI. Las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales Trabajando por el Interés Privado (BINGO’s) y la industria fueron los actores que utilizaron más evidencia científica financiada por la industria (30.8% y 25.9% respectivamente) y con CDI (26.7% y 18.5% respectivamente). La IA financia investigación sobre temas de salud y estos son utilizados comúnmente por actores de la industria y BINGO’s para intentar moldear las políticas públicas a su favor. Es necesario establecer lineamientos para prevenir el CDI en el desarrollo de políticas públicas.

Tania C. Aburto Soto, Carolina Batis, Arantxa Colchero, Sonia Rodríguez Ramírez, Juan Rivera. Association between diet cost and diet quality in Mexico.

Evidence from high-income countries suggests that healthy diets are more expensive than unhealthy ones. Our aim was to assess the association between diet cost and quality in Mexico, a middle-income country with lacking evidence. We matched intake from 24-hour recalls from two surveys (2012 and 2016) to price information from the Consumer Price Index, adjusted for inflation (2011-2016) and used the Mexican Dietary Quality Score (MXDQI) to assess dietary quality. The index includes seven healthy (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, seafood/poultry/eggs, low-fat dairy, and polyunsaturated fat), and six less healthy components (100% juice, refined grains, red and processed meat, added sugar, sodium, and saturated fat). To compare MXDQI score by low and high diet cost, we divided cost residuals (adjusted by energy) at the median and used multivariate linear regression to estimate the association between cost and MXDQI. MXDQI score was higher among those with low vs high diet cost (39.6 vs 37 points). Whole grains, legumes, 100% juice, red meat, added sugar, sodium and saturated fat scores were higher for those with low diet cost, whereas vegetables, fruits, seafood/poultry/eggs and refined grains were higher for those with high diet cost. A one dollar increase in diet cost was associated with a decrease of 1.5 points in the MXDQI. Contrary to evidence from other countries, our findings suggest that diet cost is inversely associated with diet quality in Mexico, explained by lower intakes of less healthy components.

Tania C. Aburto Soto, Carolina Batis, Lilia S. Pedraza, Erick Angulo, Zugey Hernández, Alejandra Jáuregui, Juan A. Rivera, Simon Barquera. Parental attitudes and children’s intake of non-nutritive sweeteners under the front-of-package warning label system in Mexico.

Mexico implemented in October 2020 a front-of-package warning label (FOPWL) policy that includes a precautionary legend for products containing nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS). Our aim was to assess parental attitudes toward products with added NNS, and to compare these attitudes with children’s NNS intake from packaged products. Data came from the first wave of the EPHA-niñ@s study (November 2020-March 2021), a national web-based cohort of Mexican children 5-10y and one of their parents (n=2,005). The online self- administered questionnaire included a close-ended 24-hour recall at the brand-level for selected food groups. We defined NNS presence as any NNS included in the ingredient list of packaged products. We used logistic regression models to assess the association between parental attitudes and children’s intake, adjusted by children and parents’ age, parents’ education and socioeconomic status. Most parents agreed (68%) that children should not consume products with NNS, whereas 53.7% of children consumed at least one product with NNS the day before. Intake did not differ by level of agreement. Thirty one percent of parents checked if a product bought for their children contained NNS, with significantly lower odds of consuming NNS compared to those who never checked (OR=0.65, p=0.02). Although most parents agreed that children should not consume NNS and the FOPWL was already in place at the moment of data collection, we found that more than half of the participating children consumed NNS on a given day.

Thaís Cristina Caldeira Marquezine, Taciana Maia de Sousa, Ana Paula Bortoletto Martins, Laís Amaral Mais, Giovanna Calixto Andrade, Rafael Moreira Claro. Mudança nos preços de alimentos no Brasil entre 2018 e 2022.

Introdução: O preço dos alimentos pode ser afetado por problemas no sistema alimentar, agravamentos climáticos (ex. fenômeno El Niño) ou eventos de saúde globais (ex. pandemia de Covid-19). O estudo objetivou mensurar a variação do preço dos grupos de alimentos no Brasil entre janeiro/2018 e março/2022. Métodos: A Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares (POF 2017/18) e o Sistema Nacional de Índices de Preços ao Consumidor (SNIPC) foram usados para criar um banco de dados contendo preços mensais dos alimentos e bebidas mais consumidos no país (n=96) , de janeiro/2018 a março/2022. Os preços de alimentos e bebidas da POF 2017/18 foram usados para calcular os preços reais usando a variação mensal do SNIPC (deflacionados para março de 2022). Os alimentos e bebidas foram classificados seguindo as recomendações do Guia Alimentar Brasileiro. O preço mensal de cada grupo de alimentos foi usado para descrever as mudanças nos preços no período estudado. Resultado: O preço dos alimentos não processados ou minimamente processados e ingredientes culinários processados aumentou de R$15,3/kg (2018) para R$18,1/kg (2022). Houve redução no preço de alimentos processados e ultraprocessados, de R$16,6/kg (2018) para R$15,5/kg (2022) e de R$22,1/kg (2018) para R$19,4/kg (2022), respectivamente. Conclusão: Entre 2018 e 2022, os alimentos saudáveis (não processados ou minimamente processados e ingredientes culinários processados) tenderam a ficar mais caros, e os alimentos não saudáveis (ultraprocessados) tenderam a ficar mais baratos, indicando uma possível futura reversão do cenário de preços de alimentos no Brasil.

Victoria Tiscornia, Luciana Castronuovo, Leila Guarnieri, Florencia Camara (FIC Argentina). Monitoring the food environment for the promotion of a comprehensive strategy to tackle the obesity epidemic in Argentina.

Introduction. In Argentina, the prevalence of overweight is alarming, 41.1% in children and adolescents between 5 to 17 years of age and 67,9% in adults. We aimed to monitor the food environment by applying different INFORMAS protocols. Methods. Three protocols were adapted to local context to monitor food marketing, food labels, and food composition in Argentina. The food composition database was used as an input to analyze nutritional quality using different nutrient profiles (NP) developed in Latin America, and to assess the level of agreement of NP with respect to the Food Dietary Guidelines (FDGs) for the Argentinian Population. Results. Argentinean children are exposed to 98,9% of unhealthy foods ads on TV. Regarding food labels, almost 40% of less healthy food products displayed nutrition claims on their package and 32% displayed characters or celebrities attractive to children. The NP with the highest level of agreement with FDGs was the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) (Gwet’s=0.663). Research results were disseminated to different audiences in different formats such as policy briefs to key policymakers and social media campaigns targeted to the general audience. Discussion and conclusion: Local evidence demonstrating that the Argentinian food environment is obesogenic was an essential input for the enactment of a comprehensive law that includes a front of pack warning system, PAHO NP, restriction of food marketing directed to children and banning school sales for unhealthy products.

Vitória Lucia Silva de Moraes, Camila Maranha Paes de Carvalho, Marília Sobral Albiero, Paula Johns. Análise de um ano de monitoramento da indústria de alimentos e bebidas no Brasil.

Introdução: As ações políticas corporativas (APC) estão relacionadas à inércia política, impactando negativamente em iniciativas regulatórias. Poucos trabalhos investigaram como tais corporações atuam no Brasil. O trabalho mapeou e analisou APC de indústrias de alimentos e bebidas no país durante 2021. Metodologia: Foram acompanhadas 15 organizações do setor de ultraprocessados (n=5), álcool (n=2), bebidas açucaradas (n=3), agronegócio (n=2), frigoríficos (n=2) e fast-food (n=2) ao longo de 1 ano, no site LinkedIn, pelo Google Alertas e por boletins corporativos. Os dados foram registrados e categorizados por tipo de APC, posteriormente ordenados por temáticas e sistematizados, delineando o perfil de cada corporação. Resultados: Foram registrados 356 exemplos de APC, destacando aquelas de lobby, marketing e ação sobre dados, tendo sido usadas principalmente pelo setor de bebidas e do agronegócio. A temática mais encontrada foi a de socialwashing (n = 82), seguida por sustentabilidade (n = 72) e coronavírus (n = 50). Discussão: As mesmas empresas que prevêem soluções para a saúde pública possuem influência no conjunto de crises contemporâneas, devido aos impactos socioambientais de seus processos produtivos. O protagonismo das corporações em momentos críticos revela a fragilidade institucional do Estado presente no país nos últimos anos e o impacto negativo sobre os cidadãos. Conclusão: A presente investigação tem o potencial de contribuir para ações de advocacy e aponta como são urgentes as ações de regulação da atuação dessas corporações para melhorias nos sistemas alimentares.