Nutritional evaluation of cooked sausages in the market of the Republic of Serbia using the nutri-score methodology

Abstract

Enhancing diet quality is a recognized strategy for reducing the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), making it a primary focus of public health policies worldwide. The Nutri-Score, a front-of-pack labeling logo utilizing five color-coded letters (A, B, C, D, E), has been established as a means to assist consumers in promptly identifying healthier prepackaged foods within a given food category. It has a positive influence in terms of consumer awareness, perception, comprehension, and purchasing behavior and potentially contributes to a decrease in the prevalence of NCDs. The objective of this research was to assess the NutriScore of finely and coarsely ground cooked sausages available in the Serbian market. To accomplish this, a total of 189 packaged cooked sausages from the eight largest supermarket chains in the Belgrade region of the Republic of Serbia were analyzed. The sausages were evaluated using the Nutri-score method and categorized accordingly. The results of the Nutri-Score analysis revealed that only 1.1% of the cooked sausages fell into Group C, while 62.4% were classified as Group D, and 36.5% were classified as Group E. The reduction of sodium and saturated fatty acids, which are major contributors to unfavorable Nutri-scores in cooked sausages, is crucial due to their significant presence, often leading to their classification as "unhealthy foods."

Keywords

• nutri-score
• front-of-pack labelling
• cooked sausages
• saturated fatty acids