Increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods and likely impact on human health: evidence from Brazil

Public Health Nutrition

Geoffrey Cannon¹  Renata Bertazzi Levy¹  Rafael Moreira Claro¹  Carlos Augusto Monteiro¹  Inês Rugani Ribeiro de Castro¹ 

关键词: Food;    Processed food;    Nutrition;    Diet;    Food classification;   

DOI  :  10.1017/S1368980010003241

学科分类：卫生学

来源: Cambridge University Press

【 摘 要 】

ObjectiveTo assess time trends in the contribution of processed foods to food purchases made by Brazilian households and to explore the potential impact on the overall quality of the diet.DesignApplication of a new classification of foodstuffs based on extent and purpose of food processing to data collected by comparable probabilistic household budget surveys. The classification assigns foodstuffs to the following groups: unprocessed/minimally processed foods (Group 1); processed culinary ingredients (Group 2); or ultra-processed ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat food products (Group 3).SettingEleven metropolitan areas of Brazil.SubjectsHouseholds; n 13 611 in 1987–8, n 16 014 in 1995–5 and n 13 848 in 2002–3.ResultsOver the last three decades, the household consumption of Group 1 and Group 2 foods has been steadily replaced by consumption of Group 3 ultra-processed food products, both overall and in lower- and upper-income groups. In the 2002–3 survey, Group 3 items represented more than one-quarter of total energy (more than one-third for higher-income households). The overall nutrient profile of Group 3 items, compared with that of Group 1 and Group 2 items, revealed more added sugar, more saturated fat, more sodium, less fibre and much higher energy density.ConclusionsThe high energy density and the unfavourable nutrition profiling of Group 3 food products, and also their potential harmful effects on eating and drinking behaviours, indicate that governments and health authorities should use all possible methods, including legislation and statutory regulation, to halt and reverse the replacement of minimally processed foods and processed culinary ingredients by ultra-processed food products.

【 授权许可】

Unknown