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Evaluating the Discrimination of Sugar Content Thresholds in the Canadian Nutrient File Classification System
Author(s) -
Bernstein Jodi,
L'Abbe Mary
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.124.7
Subject(s) - sugar , nutrient , added sugar , food science , saturated fat , medicine , chemistry , organic chemistry , cholesterol
The objective of this study was to evaluate the discrimination of sugar thresholds in the Canadian Nutrient File Classification System (CNFCS). The CNFCS was developed and validated to evaluate the consistency of food and beverages with dietary guidance such as 'limit food and beverages high in sugar'. The CNFCS classifies products into one of four tiers separated by upper and lower thresholds for sugar, sodium, fat, and saturated fat content. Most choices should come from tiers 1&2, few from tier 3, and limited from tier 4. Unlike the other nutrients, sugar has no intake recommendations to base the CNFCS thresholds on. Assessing the discrimination of nutrient classification systems is integral as they categorize the overall healthiness of a food. Using the University of Toronto 2013 food database, the proportion of breakfast cereals (n=250) and yogurts (n=240) that met and/or exceeded the thresholds for sugar content was assessed and compared to the proportion categorized within each CNFCS tier. The majority of cereals (77%) and yogurts (85%) exceeded the lower threshold for sugar, but few (1% and 2%, repsectively) exceeded the upper thresholds. Despite surpassing the lower threshold for sugar, 64% of cereals and 55% of yogurts were classified into tier 1&2, based on other nutrient contents. In total, 86% and 65% fell into tier 1&2 and 3% and 8% into tier 4 for cereal and yogurt, respectively. These results demonstrate products with up to 19g of sugar for most food categories, or 28g for flavoured yogurt, could be categorized in the healthiest tiers. Few items fell in tier 4 or exceeded the upper sugar threshold, indicating CNFCS sugar criteria may be too lenient and hence provide little incentive for reformulation. Funding: McHenry Chair (ML); CIHR PICDP & PHP (JB).