Leyendas nutricionales y percepción del consumidor sobre productos procesados

Nutritional claims and consumer perception of processed products

Authors

  • Flor María Alvarado Alvarado Carrera de Nutrición y Dietética. Universidad de Cuenca
  • Johanna Estefanía Altamirano Mendieta
  • Lorena Esperanza Encalada Torres
  • Diana Elizabeth Morales Avilez
  • María Lizbeth Tolentino Mayo
  • Victoria Abril-Ulloa Universidad de Cuenca, Ecuador https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4083-8401

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18537/RFCM.41.03.02

Keywords:

labelling, nutrients, nutritional legends, processed and ultra-processed products

Abstract

The labels of processed and ultra-processed products (PUP) inform about the nutrient content and some products present legends about health and nutrition that can cause confusion for consumers, implying that they are healthy food products, inducing their purchase.

Objective: analyze the agreement between legends and nutritional content declared on PUP packaging in relation to nutrients, micronutrients and their importance for consumers in the purchase and consumption decision.

Methods: quantitative-qualitative study. 2054 PUP were analyzed and the frequency of nutritional legends in 10 categories was identified. According to the INFORMAS taxonomy, the type of packaging legend was identified. In addition, 12 adults were interviewed about their perception of the importance of nutritional legends when making purchases and consumption.

Results: 79% of legends on PUP packaging corresponded to a declaration of nutrient content. The agreement between claims and nutritional content is low in most products that present nutritional messages. The qualitative study showed that legends influence consumers' purchasing and consumption decisions.

Conclusion: most PUPs show nutritional legends, the agreement between what is declared on the packaging and the nutritional content of the products is not consistent. The high presence of nutritional legends in the PUP encourages consumers to make greater purchases, since they assume that they are healthier compared to products that do not present these legends.

Keywords: labeling, nutrient content, nutritional legends, processed and ultra-processed products.

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Published

2023-12-01

Issue

Vol. 41 No. 3 (2023): Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas de la Universidad de Cuenca

Section

Original Article

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Dra., Flor María Alvarado Alvarado, Johanna Estefanía Altamirano Mendieta , Lorena Esperanza Encalada Torres, Diana Elizabeth Morales Avilez, María Lizbeth Tolentino Mayo

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