Table 4.
Nutritional comparison of products bearing natural or bio/GMO claims and conventional products in the subcategories that presented statistically significant differences.
| Food Subcategories | Energy (kcal) | Protein(g) | Total Fat (g) | Saturated Fat (g) | Carbohydrates (g) | Sugars (g) | Fiber (g) | Salt (g) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yogurt | Fresh (n = 46) |
74.5 (71.0, 96.0) | 7.9 (5.0, 9.1) | 2.0 (1.7, 5.0) | 1.3 (1.2, 3.6) | 4.5 (3.8, 7.4) | 4.2 (3.8, 7.3) | 0.0 (0.0, 0.0) | 0.12 (0.10, 0.17) |
| No claim (n = 114) |
80.0 (66.0, 102.0) | 5.6 (4.6, 7.2) | 2.0 (1.6, 3.9) | 1.3 (1.0, 2.6) | 7.5 (4.5, 13.8) | 6.4 (4.2, 11.0) | 0.2 (0.0, 0.8) | 0.11 (0.10, 0.15) | |
| p-value | 0.885 | 0.02 | 0.144 | 0.083 | <0.001 | <0.001 | 0.180 | 0.360 | |
| Cereal or cereal-like milling product | Fresh (n = 9) |
342.0 (254.0, 352.5) | 8.2 (7.7, 9.5) | 15.7 (2.6, 18.4) | 7.6 (1.1, 9.9) | 40.8 (37.2, 46.7) | 6.0 (5.8, 11.7) | 1.7 (1.5, 2.0) | 1.76 (1.58, 1.91) |
| No claim (n = 29) |
304.0 (274.0, 378.5) | 7.5 (6.7, 8.4) | 5.0 (3.9, 22.5) | 1.4 (0.6, 5.2) | 41.3 (36.6, 57.5) | 1.6 (0.2, 3.2) | 1.9 (1.5, 3.7) | 1.20 (0.80, 1.30) | |
| p-value | 0.460 | 0.128 | 0.548 | 0.030 | 0.595 | <0.001 | 0.285 | 0.002 | |
| Pasta or similar product | Organic (n = 189) |
358.0 (353.0, 358.0) | 11.0 (11.0, 11.0) | 1.5 (1.5, 2.0) | 0.2 (0.2, 0.6) | 75.0 (69.0, 75.0) | 1.8 (1.8, 3.2) | 3.0 (3.0, 4.1) | 0.01 (0.00, 0.01) |
| No claim (n = 11) |
355.0 (352.0, 359.0) | 12.0 (12.0, 13.0) | 2.0 (1.5, 2.5) | 0.4 (0.3, 0.5) | 71.7 (67.7, 72.1) | 3.2 (3.0, 3.8) | 3.0 (2.9, 3.3) | 0.03 (0.01, 0.07) | |
| p-value | 0.417 | <0.001 | 0.586 | 0.115 | 0.144 | 0.008 | 0.510 | 0.023 | |
| Breakfast cereal | Natural/pure (n = 23) |
453.0 (417.0, 495.0) | 8.0 (6.0, 14.0) | 18.5 (15.0, 27.6) | 5.0 (2.7, 8.0) | 56.0 (48.4, 67.0) | 21.4 (15.5, 26.5) | 7.1 (6.1, 11.0) | 0.50 (0.23, 0.97) |
| No claim (n = 131) |
393.0 (376.0, 430.0) | 8.1 (6.8, 9.0) | 7.5 (4.0, 15.0) | 2.4 (1.0, 4.5) | 67.5 (62.0, 74.0) | 23.1 (15.8, 26.9) | 6.9 (5.0, 8.5) | 0.60 (0.29, 0.80) | |
| p-value | <0.001 | 0.657 | <0.001 | <0.001 | <0.001 | 0.677 | 0.134 | 0.896 | |
| Fine bakery ware | Free from (n = 14) |
468.0 (282.8, 510.0) | 7.9 (6.7, 9.2) | 26.0 (14.0, 27.0) | 6.6 (3.7, 10.4) | 55.3 (16.3, 17.1) | 16.3 (13.4, 17.1) | 3.3 (1.4, 4.8) | 0.61 (0.33, 1.82) |
| No claim (n = 228) |
477.0 (438.0, 499.0) | 6.6 (5.4, 8.0) | 21.0 (17.0, 25.0) | 9.8 (6.7, 13.0) | 61.0 (54.3, 67.0) | 26.0 (19.0, 35.0) | 2.5 (1.8, 3.4) | 0.50 (0.30, 0.75) | |
| p-value | 0.556 | 0.012 | 0.451 | 0.014 | 0.005 | <0.001 | 0.573 | 0.107 | |
| Jam or marmalade | Fresh (n = 9) |
258.0 (255.5, 263.0) | 0.7 (0.4, 1.6) | 0.3 (0.2, 0.3) | 0.0 (0.0, 0.0) | 64.0 (62.5, 65.0) | 62.5 (60.0, 63.2) | 1.7 (1.4, 2.5) | 0.00 (0.00, 0.00) |
| No claim (n = 51) |
237.0 (164.0, 244.0) | 0.5 (0.4, 0.8) | 0.1 (0.0, 0.3) | 0.0 (0.0, 0.0) | 58.0 (40.0, 60.0) | 55.0 (22.0, 58.0) | 1.7 (1.1, 2.3) | 0.04 (0.01, 0.06) | |
| p-value | <0.001 | 0.447 | 0.031 | 0.029 | <0.001 | <0.001 | 0.607 | 0.007 | |
| Juice or nectar | Free from (n = 44) |
47.9 (41.0, 51.0) | 0.3 (0.2, 0.5) | 0.0 (0.0, 0.2) | 0.0 (0.0, 0.0) | 11.5 (10.1, 12.2) | 10.5 (9.1, 11.8) | 0.4 (0.2, 0.6) | 0.00 (0.00, 0.02) |
| No claim (n = 118) |
49.0 (46.0, 52.0) | 0.4 (0.2, 0.6) | 0.0 (0.0, 0.1) | 0.0 (0.0, 0.0) | 11.8 (11.0, 12.3) | 11.4 (10.4, 12.0) | 0.5 (0.4, 0.6) | 0.00 (0.00, 0.01) | |
| p-value | 0.127 | 0.169 | 0.214 | <0.001 | 0.109 | 0.024 | 0.200 | 0.224 | |
| Natural/pure (n = 35) |
46.0 (44.0, 48.4) | 0.4 (0.2, 0.4) | 0.0 (0.0, 0.1) | 0.0 (0.0, 0.0) | 11.0 (10.7, 11,7) | 10.4 (9.5, 10.9) | 0.5 (0.3, 0.6) | 0.03 (0.01, 0.03) | |
| No claim (n = 127) |
49.0 (45.8, 53.0) | 0.4 (0.2, 0.5) | 0.0 (0.0, 0.1) | 0.0 (0.0, 0.0) | 12.0 (12.8, 11.0) | 11.5 (10.4, 12.2) | 0.5 (0.4, 0.5) | 0.00 (0.00, 0.01) | |
| p-value | <0.001 | 0.815 | 0.180 | <0.001 | <0.001 | <0.001 | 0.471 | <0.001 | |
| Fresh (n = 25) |
48.0 (46.5, 50.5) | 0.6 (0.5, 0.7) | 0.0 (0.0, 0.1) | 0.0 (0.0, 0.0) | 11.2 (11.0, 12.0) | 10.5 (10.0, 11.7) | 0.3 (0.1, 1.2) | 0.00 (0.00, 0.00) | |
| No claim (n = 137) |
49.0 (45.0, 52.0) | 0.3 (0.2, 0.5) | 0.0 (0.0, 0.1) | 0.0 (0.0, 0.0) | 11.8 (10.9, 12.4) | 11.2 (10.4, 12.0) | 0.5 (0.4, 0.6) | 0.00 (0.00, 0.02) | |
| p-value | 0.952 | <0.001 | 0.821 | 0.324 | 0.280 | 0.117 | 0.613 | <0.001 | |
| Spice, condiments | Free from (n = 36) |
6.0 (5.0, 47.5) | 0.5 (0.5, 0.5) | 0.5 (0.5, 0.5) | 0.2 (0.2, 0.3) | 0.5 (0.5, 1.4) | 0.5 (0.5, 1.2) | 0.5 (0.5, 0.5) | 1.04 (0.88, 1.20) |
| No claim (n = 211) |
149 (93.0, 334.4) | 2.8 (1.2, 5.3) | 4.6 (0.5, 18.9) | 0.7 (0.1, 4.7) | 15.0 (6.5, 24.4) | 6.2 (3.9, 21.6) | 1.5 (1.0, 2.7) | 1.80 (1.00, 3.45) | |
| p-value | <0.001 | <0.001 | <0.001 | 0.027 | <0.001 | <0.001 | <0.001 | <0.001 | |
| Prepared food products | Free from (n = 22) |
116.0 (27.3, 293.8) | 1.1 (0.7, 6.3) | 1.3 (0.5, 3.8) | 0.3 (0.1, 1.2) | 5.7 (4.4, 37.8) | 2.5 (0.8, 8.0) | 0.5 (0.5, 1.7) | 0.89 (0.30, 1.03) |
| No claim (n = 131) |
365.0 (247.0, 505.0) | 3.8 (2.1, 7.0) | 23.4 (6.0, 30.4) | 4.3 (1.7, 6.3) | 45.8 (8.4, 57.7) | 1.7 (0.6, 3.7) | 2.0 (1.0, 5.0) | 1.50 (0.90, 1.83) | |
| p-value | <0.001 | 0.015 | <0.001 | <0.001 | <0.001 | 0.176 | 0.004 | <0.001 | |
| Fresh (n = 8) |
123.0 (95.3, 130.5) | 3.0 (2.6, 3.1) | 4.0 (3.1, 4.8) | 2.6 (1.9, 5.9) | 18.3 (14.8, 21.7) | 8.1 (1.7, 16.0) | 0.1 (0.0, 0.1) | 0.16 (0.10, 0.23) | |
| No claim (n = 145) |
357.0 (214.0, 503.5) | 3.7 (1.5, 7.0) | 21.3 (3.6, 30.4) | 3.7 (1.0, 5.5) | 40.1 (7.2, 57.4) | 1.7 (0.6, 4.0) | 1.9 (0.8, 5.0) | 1.40 (0.88, 1.80) | |
| p-value | <0.001 | 0.283 | 0.035 | 0.960 | 0.431 | 0.089 | 0.002 | <0.001 |
Values represent median (Q1, Q3). All statistical analyses were carried out with the Mann-Whitney U test. Bold highlights statistically significant values (p ≤ 0.001).