Table 3.
Proportion of pre-packaged foods not meeting nutritional criteria according to the Pan American Health Association (PAHO)* nutrient profile model
| CN (%) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classification | Total fats | Saturated fats | Trans-fats | Free sugars | Non-sugar Sweeteners | Na | 0 CN | At least one CN | 1–2 CN | 3–4 CN |
| By food group† | ||||||||||
| Confectionery (n 278) | 39·2 | 34·9 | 2·9 | 91·7 | 24·8 | 11·1 | 0·7 | 99·3 | 60·8 | 38·5 |
| Cakes, sweet biscuits and pastries (n 174) | 62·1 | 66·1 | 7·5 | 74·7 | 9·2 | 34·4 | 1·2 | 98·9 | 42·0 | 57·0 |
| Savoury snacks (n 169) | 89·4 | 58·6 | 0·0 | 7·1 | 0·0 | 61·5 | 1·2 | 98·8 | 56·8 | 42·0 |
| Beverages (n 331) | 10·6 | 7·6 | 0·6 | 90·9 | 35·7 | 27·5 | 0·6 | 99·4 | 84·3 | 15·1 |
| Edible ices (n 7) | 85·7 | 85·7 | 0·0 | 100 | 0·0 | 0·0 | 0·0 | 100·0 | 14·3 | 85·7 |
| Breakfast cereals (n 105) | 1·0 | 4·8 | 0·0 | 88·6 | 7·6 | 60·0 | 6·7 | 99·3 | 85·7 | 7·6 |
| Yoghurts, cream (n 27) | 66·7 | 85·2 | 7·4 | 55·6 | 0·0 | 11·1 | 7·4 | 92·6 | 51·9 | 40·7 |
| Cheese (n 65) | 98·5 | 95·4 | 9·2 | 0·0 | 0·0 | 95·4 | 0·0 | 100·0 | 6·1 | 93·9 |
| Ready-made and convenience foods (n 88) | 46·6 | 40·9 | 0·0 | 28·4 | 0·0 | 88·6 | 6·8 | 94·2 | 58·0 | 36·2 |
| Butter and other fats and oils (n 44) | 100·0 | 84·1 | 6·8 | 9·1 | 0·0 | 68·2 | 0·0 | 100·0 | 27·3 | 72·7 |
| Bread, bread products and crisp breads (n 59) | 13·6 | 17·0 | 0·0 | 18·6 | 0·0 | 93·2 | 1·7 | 98·3 | 84·8 | 13·6 |
| Processed meat, poultry, fish (n 50) | 78·0 | 44·0 | 0·0 | 2·0 | 0·0 | 100·0 | 0·0 | 100·0 | 56·0 | 44·0 |
| Processed fruit, vegetables and legumes (n 148) | 17·6 | 2·7 | 0·0 | 45·3 | 5·4 | 45·3 | 10·1 | 89·9 | 83·1 | 6·8 |
| Sauces, dips and dressings (n 189) | 42·3 | 29·6 | 0·5 | 69·8 | 1·6 | 94·1 | 0·0 | 100·0 | 62·4 | 37·6 |
| Other (n 35) | 0·4 | 5·7 | 0·0 | 48·6 | 0·0 | 82·7 | 2·9 | 97·1 | 77·1 | 20·0 |
| By processing degree‡ | ||||||||||
| Processed (n 112) | 33·9 | 19·6 | 0·0 | 28·6 | 0·0 | 66·1 | 9·8 | 90·2 | 69·7 | 20·5 |
| Ultra-processed (n 1657) | 42·4 | 34·8 | 2·1 | 62·6 | 13·4 | 49·9 | 1·8 | 98·2 | 63·8 | 34·4 |
| All processed and ultra-processed products (n 1769)‡ | 41·8 | 33·9 | 2·0 | 60·5 | 12·6 | 50·9 | 2·2 | 97·8 | 64·2 | 33·6 |
CN, critical nutrient.
PAHO: Products with excessive content of at least one nutrient were considered as not meeting the model’s nutritional criteria using the following thresholds: 30 % of total energy; saturated fats: 10 % of total energy; trans-fats: 1 % of total energy; Na: 1 mg per energy; added sugars: 10 % of total energy; sweeteners: any amount of artificial sweeteners. Free sugars were estimated with the method proposed by PAHO, based on total sugars and food group, taking into consideration if the products contain ingredients with natural sugar, such as fruit or milk(14).
Food groups classification based on the WHO/European nutrient profile model(15).