Table 4.
Assessment of nutritional quality of the Australian packaged food supply by ‘core’ and ‘discretionary’ classification and extent of food processing *.
| Number of Products | Nutrient Composition (Median (IQR)) | Nutrient Profiling Summary Score | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy (kJ/100 g) | Saturated Fat (g/100 g) | Total Sugars (g/100 g) | Sodium (mg/100 g) | Serving Size (g or mL) | Mean HSR (SD) | HSR < 3.5 (%) | ||
| Dietary guidelines | ||||||||
| Core foods | 17,486 | 844 (1218) | 1.0 (3.5) | 3.4 (7.6) | 90 (379) | 90 (140) | 3.6 (1.1) | 50.1 |
| Discretionary foods | 19,688 | 1330 (1250) | 2.6 (8.6) | 14.8 (39.3) | 224 (484) | 30 (62) | 2.1 (1.2) | 90.4 |
| Extent of processing (three levels) | ||||||||
| Less processed foods | 7949 | 642 (1261) | 1.0 (3.2) | 3.0 (6.4) | 34 (172) | 75 (95) | 3.5 (1.2) | 47.8 |
| Moderately processed foods | 6797 | 1166 (1221) | 2.6 (7.7) | 5.6 (11.6) | 184 (525) | 44 (105) | 3.0 (1.3) | 64.2 |
| Highly processed foods | 22,602 | 1180 (1173) | 1.8 (7.0) | 8.0 (28.5) | 250 (440) | 50 (100) | 2.5 (1.3) | 81.0 |
| Extent of processing (two levels) | ||||||||
| Not highly processed † | 14,747 | 880 (1335) | 1.6 (5.1) | 3.9 (9.4) | 55 (375) | 50 (100) | 3.2 (1.3) | 55.4 |
| Highly processed foods | 22,602 | 1180 (1173) | 1.8 (7.0) | 8.0 (28.5) | 250 (440) | 50 (100) | 2.5 (1.3) | 81.0 |
* Data rounded to the nearest whole number for energy, sodium, and serving size, and to one decimal space for saturated fat and total sugars. † Products not classified as ‘not highly processed’ are a combination of low and moderately processed foods. IQR = interquartile range; SD = standard deviation; HSR = Health Star Rating; kJ = kilojoules; g = grams; mL = millilitres; mg = milligrams. Core foods: foods are foods that form the basis of a healthy diet [22,23]. Discretionary foods: energy-dense and nutrient-poor foods not necessary for providing the nutrients the body needs [22,23]. Less-processed foods: includes unprocessed/minimally processed foods, processed basic ingredients and foods processed for basic preservation [24]. Moderately processed foods: single minimally or moderately processed foods with addition of flavour additives for the purpose of enhancing flavour. Also includes grain products made from whole-grain flour with water, salt, and/or yeast [24]. Highly-processed foods: multi-ingredient industrially formulated mixtures processed to the extent that they are no longer recognizable as their original plant/animal source and not typically consumed as additions [24].