{"title":"Nutritional Labeling of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages: A Survey at the Community Level","authors":"Hosna Rashidi Birgani, Neda Gilani, Fatemeh Bakhtari, Leila Jahangiry","doi":"10.1155/jfpp/6397055","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><b>Background:</b> Given that compliance with the guidelines and instructions for displaying nutritional color coding on food products is mandatory in Iran and the goal of this is to assist consumers in identifying the nutritional characteristics of a product so they can make informed choices based on their physical condition and personal needs, the purpose of this study was to examine the labeling of sweetened beverages in the community.</p><p><b>Methods:</b> This cross-sectional study was conducted in the city of Tabriz. In this research, 462 sugar-sweetened beverages were examined using a researcher-made checklist.</p><p><b>Results:</b> The study examined 462 sugar-sweetened beverages, revealing that fruit drinks comprised 43.3% of the selection, while sports drinks were only 7%. A total of 99.8% of products included nutritional indicators, but 2.5% displayed mismatches between sugar content and color indicators. Additionally, 85.9% of labels were clear and legible, with 74.7% appropriately sized for the product.</p><p><b>Conclusion:</b> The study highlights significant compliance with nutritional labeling guidelines among sugar-sweetened beverages in Tabriz, particularly regarding the presence of essential information. However, discrepancies in color coding for sugar content and issues with label visibility and placement indicate areas for improvement. To enhance consumer awareness and understanding, it is crucial to address these discrepancies and ensure that nutritional labels are both informative and easily accessible.</p>","PeriodicalId":15717,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Food Processing and Preservation","volume":"2025 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1155/jfpp/6397055","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Food Processing and Preservation","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/jfpp/6397055","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Given that compliance with the guidelines and instructions for displaying nutritional color coding on food products is mandatory in Iran and the goal of this is to assist consumers in identifying the nutritional characteristics of a product so they can make informed choices based on their physical condition and personal needs, the purpose of this study was to examine the labeling of sweetened beverages in the community.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the city of Tabriz. In this research, 462 sugar-sweetened beverages were examined using a researcher-made checklist.
Results: The study examined 462 sugar-sweetened beverages, revealing that fruit drinks comprised 43.3% of the selection, while sports drinks were only 7%. A total of 99.8% of products included nutritional indicators, but 2.5% displayed mismatches between sugar content and color indicators. Additionally, 85.9% of labels were clear and legible, with 74.7% appropriately sized for the product.
Conclusion: The study highlights significant compliance with nutritional labeling guidelines among sugar-sweetened beverages in Tabriz, particularly regarding the presence of essential information. However, discrepancies in color coding for sugar content and issues with label visibility and placement indicate areas for improvement. To enhance consumer awareness and understanding, it is crucial to address these discrepancies and ensure that nutritional labels are both informative and easily accessible.
期刊介绍:
The journal presents readers with the latest research, knowledge, emerging technologies, and advances in food processing and preservation. Encompassing chemical, physical, quality, and engineering properties of food materials, the Journal of Food Processing and Preservation provides a balance between fundamental chemistry and engineering principles and applicable food processing and preservation technologies.
This is the only journal dedicated to publishing both fundamental and applied research relating to food processing and preservation, benefiting the research, commercial, and industrial communities. It publishes research articles directed at the safe preservation and successful consumer acceptance of unique, innovative, non-traditional international or domestic foods. In addition, the journal features important discussions of current economic and regulatory policies and their effects on the safe and quality processing and preservation of a wide array of foods.