LIDA Seminar Series 24th April 2020
- Date
- Friday 24 April 2020, All day
- Category
- LIDA Seminar
Pre-recorded presentation and slide deck are now available at the links below.
Presentation: Restricting in-store food promotions; automated wide-scale application of the UK Nutrient Profile Model
By: Vicki Jenneson
Abstract: The UK government plans to limit price and location-based in-store promotions for products high in saturated fat, salt and free sugars (HFSS). The 2004/5 UK Nutrient profiling model (NPM) is the proposed legislative basis, but may imminently be superseded by a new NPM. This study 1) develops an algorithm to apply NPMs to a large food database and 2) assesses implementation challenges.
NPMs were applied algorithmically to the myfood24 food composition database, representing a retail portfolio of ~45,000 products. Pass rates – indicating free or restricted promotions – and micronutrient compositions were compared for each model. Challenges were assessed and recommendations aligned to the legislation’s public consultation questions.
Both models gave similar pass-rates (42%), with 95% agreement, yet the new NPM was more restrictive for beverages. Products passing the new NPM had slightly poorer micronutrient profiles (for vitamin E and folate) than those which passed the current NPM.
Missing ingredient information and heterogeneous product categories were challenging for both NPMs, but free sugar calculation further complicates application of the new NPM. The basis for the proposed legislation must balance feasibility and public health benefit. Under the current proposal, shared retailer and manufacturer responsibility is required to navigate data challenges and ensure legislative compliance.
Watch the presentation recording