Sugar content and nutritional quality of child orientated ready to eat cereals and yoghurts in the UK and Latin America; does food policy matter?

Garcia, A. L. , Ronquillo, J. D., Morillo Santander, G., Mazariegos, C. V., Donado-Lopez, L., Vargas-Garcia, E. J., Curtin, L., Parrett, A. and Mutoro, A. N. (2020) Sugar content and nutritional quality of child orientated ready to eat cereals and yoghurts in the UK and Latin America; does food policy matter? Nutrients, 12(3), 856. (doi: 10.3390/nu12030856) (PMID:32210128)

Abstract

Ready to eat breakfast cereals (REBCs) and yoghurts provide important nutrients to children’s diets, but concerns about their high sugar content exist. Food reformulation could contribute to sugar reduction, but policies across countries are not uniform. We aimed to compare the sugar content and nutritional quality of child-orientated REBCs and yoghurts in Latin American countries with the UK. In a cross-sectional study, nutritional information, marketing strategies, and claims were collected from the food labels and packaging of products available in Guatemala, Mexico, Ecuador and the UK. Nutritional quality was assessed using the UK Ofcom Nutrient Profiling System. In total, 262 products were analysed (59% REBCs/41% yoghurts). REBCs in the UK had a lower sugar content (mean ± SD) (24.6 ± 6.4) than products in Ecuador (34.6 ± 10.8; p < 0.001), Mexico (32.6 ± 7.6; p = 0.001) and Guatemala (31.5 ± 8.3; p = 0.001). Across countries, there were no differences in the sugar content of yoghurts. A large proportion (83%) of REBCs and 33% of yoghurts were classified as “less healthy”. In conclusion, the sugar content of REBCs in Latin America is higher than those of the UK, which could be attributed to the UK voluntary sugar reduction programme. Sugar reformulation policies are required in Guatemala, Mexico and Ecuador.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: G.M-S has been funded by SENESCYT, Ecuador Government to conduct PhD studies. No other external funding has been received.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Curtin, Ms Louise and Mutoro, Miss Antonina and Ronquillo Auquilla, Jose and Parrett, Dr Alison and Garcia, Dr Ada and Morillo Santander, Beatriz Gabriela

Creator Roles

Garcia, A.: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Writing – original draft, Supervision, Writing – review and editing
Ronquillo Auquilla, J.: Methodology, Data curation, Writing – original draft
Morillo Santander, B. G.: Methodology, ["credit_typename_" not defined]
Mutoro, A.: Methodology, Formal analysis, ["credit_typename_" not defined], ["credit_typename_" not defined]
Curtin, L.: Writing – original draft, Writing – review and editing
Parrett, A.: Supervision, Writing – review and editing

• Authors: Garcia, A. L., Ronquillo, J. D., Morillo Santander, G., Mazariegos, C. V., Donado-Lopez, L., Vargas-Garcia, E. J., Curtin, L., Parrett, A., and Mutoro, A. N.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing
• Journal Name: Nutrients
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2072-6643
• ISSN (Online): 2072-6643
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2020 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Nutrients 12:856
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons Licence