Knowledge and use of nutrient labelling of industrialized foods and beverages in Mexico

Abstract

Objective. To keep record of the knowledge and use of information of the different food labels on industrialized products in Mexico. Materials and methods. We ad­ministered a semi-structured survey–developed by research­ers free of conflict interest–in a subsample of the National Health and Nutrition Survey, 2016. This survey was previously validated and piloted in different populations of varying socio­economic levels and age and country regions. Results. Data was collected from a total of 8 667 individuals ≥20 years of age. The most frecuent type of label on industrialized foods and beverages was the nutrient table with 41.5% (95%CI 36.9- 46.3) and the least used was the nutrient seal, 4.3% (95%CI 3.1-5.7). Conclusions. It is of critical importance that the regulating authorities and the Ministry of Health, implement criteria that guarantee the compliance of recommendations promulgated in official documents. As well as the standariza­tion of the percentage of recommended sugar intake based on WHO standards or lower considering the epidemiological alert for diabetes that the country is experiencing.

Keywords

• etiquetado de alimentos
• regulación
• obesidad
• diabetes mellitus
• alimentos industrializados