An ecological reorientation of the Codex Alimentarius Commission could help transform food systems.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) has a substantial influence over the structure and operation of food systems by setting international standards that affect the composition, structure and labelling of food. Despite the dual mandates of Codex to protect public health and ensure fair practices in food trade, food systems are increasingly unhealthy and unsustainable. An ecological reorientation of the decision-making elements that influence how Codex sets food standards-particularly mandates, governance and risk assessment-could help transform food systems towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Current Regulatory Issues for the Use of Probiotics.

The chapter provides an overview of the current regulatory challenges surrounding the use of probiotics. It explores the global regulatory landscape, noting the need for uniform regulations across various regions. It emphasizes that these inconsistencies pose challenges for consumers, healthcare professionals, and industry stakeholders. Furthermore, the chapter highlights the ongoing efforts at the Codex Alimentarius to establish harmonized probiotic guidelines. The chapter also discusses labeling regulations, stressing the need for more accurate and comprehensive information on probiotic products to aid in evidence-based decision-making. Finally, it addresses safety concerns, particularly for vulnerable populations like children, and calls for a multi-layered approach to safety assessments. The chapter concludes by advocating harmonizing regulations and guidelines to facilitate probiotics' safer and more effective use.

Theoretical design of blockchain-based traceability for organic egg supply chains according to regulation (EU) 2018/848.

The use of blockchain technology to establish food traceability chains has the potential to provide transparent information of food stuffs along the entire supply chain and also aid in the documentation or even execution of official food control processes. Particularly in instances where analytical methodologies cannot provide definitive data for food control questions under study, the certificate-based approach of a traceability chain may offer a way of regulatory control for state authorities. Given the rising importance of organic produce and the high share of eggs among the organic produce in the European Union as well as the new EU regulation on organic products and labelling that came into force in 2022, we analyze here how the control of egg production type and marketing standards can be represented within a blockchain-based traceability chain such as to maximize the traceability in compliance with the current relevant EU regulations. Intended for the use by the official food control authorities, a traceability chain for organically produced eggs in the EU would need to be implemented as a permissioned blockchain, since only select entities are allowed to participate. By combining a proof of authority consensus mechanism with issuance of soulbound tokens, we effectively suggest a 'proof of soulbound authority' consensus process. The soulbound tokens are issued throughout the administrative chain from the European Commission down to the official food control authorities in individual member states that ultimately certify the control bodies for organic produce. Despite the general limitation of not providing unambiguous proof of the organic status of individual products, the concept discussed here offers advantages with respect to allocation of authority at EU level and therefore might have positive effects beyond the traceability chain.

A Shotgun Metagenomics Investigation into Labeling Inaccuracies in Widely Sold Probiotic Supplements in the USA.

While probiotics are generally considered safe, concerns persist regarding the accuracy of labels on these supplements and their potential contribution to the spread of antibiotic resistance genes. Given that probiotics are predominantly ingested with a view towards obtaining particular health benefits. The objective of this study is to assess the composition of 50 widely available probiotic supplements in the USA using shotgun metagenome sequencing. The study also determines the potential resistome profile, and the functional characteristics of these products. This study finds that 67% of products does not contain any labeling inaccuracies. Antimicrobial Resistance Genes (ARGs) are identified in several products, particularly Bacillus-based products carrying between 10 and 56 genes. The risk posed by the presence of these ARGs requires further study. Functional analysis reveals differences in metabolic profiles among probiotic supplements, indicating the importance of strain-level selection for personalized probiotics. This study provides updated and comprehensive analysis to evaluate a snapshot of the USA market. The study demonstrates that label inaccuracies occur on approximately one third of popular dietary supplement products sold in the USA, supporting the need for improved approaches to marketing and quality control. Further, the risk of antibiotic resistance, especially in Bacillus-based formulations, should be assessed.

Perspectives in precautionary allergen labelling of prepackaged foods after the FAO/WHO consultation.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the perspectives regarding precautionary allergen labelling (PAL) of prepackaged foods following the consultation conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the WHO. RECENT FINDINGS: The FAO/WHO consultation provided a comprehensive assessment of the current status and practices of PAL implementation worldwide. One of the key findings highlighted by the Expert Committee was the need for improvement in existing PAL systems. It was noted that many countries lacked uniformity in PAL practices, leading to inconsistencies in labelling and potentially misleading information for consumers. Furthermore, the consultation emphasized the importance of PAL being risk-based, taking into account both the amount and frequency of unintended allergen presence (UAP) in food products. SUMMARY: The FAO/WHO consultation shed light on various perspectives and challenges associated with PAL of prepackaged foods. Key findings emphasized the need for improvement in existing PAL systems, including the adoption of a risk-based approach, standardized regulations, and enhanced transparency. Moving forward, collaborative efforts between regulatory agencies, food manufacturers, and consumer advocacy groups will be essential in developing effective PAL strategies that prioritize consumer safety and well being.

Podcast RP Convida: Como o pediatra pode promover o aleitamento materno cumprindo a NBCAL

Episódio especial em alusão ao Agosto Dourado, aborda o tema “Como o pediatra pode promover o aleitamento materno cumprindo a NBCAL”. Programa da série “RP Convida”, da revista Residência Pediátrica, conta com a participação da dra. Katia Brandt, membro do Departamento Científico de Aleitamento Materno da Sociedade Pernambucana de Pediatria (Sopepe).

El etiquetado nutricional: su expresión en el contexto mexicano / Nutritional labeling: its expression in the Mexican context

Introduction: Food is a process that carries implicit socio-cultural elements in a specific historical moment. The changes in the diet caused an increase in problems of obesity and Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases in Mexico. Measures have been taken through public policies that seek to reduce the effects of the consumption of foods with high energy value, one of them is the nutritional labeling of foods. Development: As the first axis, a sociohistorical reconstruction is developed around food labeling in Mexico as an initiative that is part of an international public policy to present nutritional information for the selection and consumption of food. In a second moment, an analysis is carried out from a critical position on the implementation and exercise of decision-making for the consumption of said products, since it is subject to a complex network of sociocultural and individual factors that determine and are determinants of styles. and frequency of consumption of the products. Conclusions: The new labeling with nutritional information is an information tool for the selection in food consumption to face the problem of overweight and obesity in Mexico. However, eating habits and practices respond to sociocultural and economic elements that are above healthy lifestyles and a culture of prevention. It is necessary to build and promote community participation-action that promotes tools such as nutritional labeling to make its objectives effective.

Introducción: la alimentación es un proceso que implica elementos socioculturales en un momento histórico concreto. México se encuentra en un problema de salud generalizado de obesidad y enfermedades crónicas no transmisibles. Ante esto se han tomado medidas mediante políticas públicas que buscan disminuir los efectos del consumo de alimentos de alto valor energético, una de ellas es el etiquetado nutricional de los alimentos. Desarrollo: como primer eje se desarrolla una reconstrucción sociohistórica en torno al etiquetado de alimentos en México como iniciativa que forma parte de una política pública internacional para presentar información nutricional para la selección y consumo de los alimentos. En un segundo momento se realiza un análisis desde un posicionamiento crítico sobre la implementación y el ejercicio de las tomas de decisión del consumo de dichos productos, ya que está sujeta a una compleja red de factores socioculturales e individuales que determinan y son determinantes de los estilos y frecuencia de consumo de los productos. Conclusiones: el nuevo etiquetado con información nutricional es una herramienta de información para la selección en el consumo de alimentos para enfrentar el problema de sobrepeso y obesidad en México. Sin embargo, los hábitos y prácticas de alimentación responden a elementos socioculturales y económicos que están por arriba de los estilos de vida saludable y una cultura de prevención. Es necesario construir y promover una participación-acción comunitaria que potencie las herramientas como el etiquetado nutricional para hacer efectivos sus objetivos.

Evaluación de la información de las etiquetas de los alimentos como una dimensión en la percepción del riesgo alimentario. Revisión exploratoria de las últimas décadas / Evaluating food label’s information as a dimension in food risk perception

Fundamentos: El concepto “percepción del riesgo alimentario” se refiere tanto a las percepciones individualesde incertidumbre como a las posibles consecuencias negativas de un evento o comportamiento específico. Enlos últimos años se han elaborado estudios sobre el grado de percepción del riesgo en la población en funciónde diferentes variables como pueden ser de tipo socioeconómicas, psicológicas o de género.Métodos: Revisión bibliográfica exploratoria de resultados, así como de las metodologías, para evaluar lapercepción del riesgo alimentario según el contenido de la información facilitada al consumidor (advertencia ycalidad nutricional, calidad certificada y de transformación tecnológica), derivado de estudios elaborados endiferentes países entre 2003 y 2022 para estudiar en qué medida condiciona esta información en la elección deconsumo o compra de un producto alimentario.Resultados: Los resultados obtenidos ponen de manifiesto la gran diversidad de resultados dependiendo deltipo de alimento, así como las características de los participantes.Conclusiones: La percepción del riesgo alimentario a través del contenido del etiquetado es muy variable. Estoposibilita la realización de estudios concretos en alimentos con información contenida en el etiquetado que, asu vez, puede servir para regular a nivel legislativo la información que se transmite al consumidor. (AU)

Background: The concept of “food risk perception” refers either to individual uncertainty perceptions and/orpossible negative consequences of a specific situation or behavior. In the last years, some studies have beencarried out on the risk perception dimension for the population based on different variables such as socioeconomic, psychological or gender, among others.Methodology: Exploratory bibliographic review compiling the results and methodologies followed to evaluatefood risk perception according to the information on the label for consumers (warning and nutritional quality,certified quality and technological transformation), from studies carried out all over the world from 2003 to2022. This information was used to know at what extent this information influences the choice for consumingor purchasing a food product.Results: The results obtained show the great diversity of results reporting that it varies according on thecountry, type of food as well as the characteristics of the participants.Conclusions: The food risk perception through the content provided in labeling is strongly variable. However,it makes possible to carry out specific studies on foods with information on the labels and at the same time itcan be helpful in regulating the information for consumer as legal dispositions. (AU)

Resumen de evidencia para política: Estrategias de implementación de etiquetado nutricional de alimentos en restaurantes de comida rápida / Evidence brief for policy: strategies for the implementation of nutritional food labelling in fast-food restaurants

EL PROBLEMA: Chile presenta una de las prevalencias más altas de sobrepeso y obesidad a nivel mundial, alcanzando un 74,2% (39,8% sobrepeso, 31,2% obesidad, y 3,2% obesidad mórbida) según los datos de la última Encuesta Nacional de Salud (ENS).2 Para afrontar esta situación, en Chile se han implementado una serie de iniciativas como los impuestos a las bebidas azucaradas (aumentando los impuestos de 13% a 18% en aquellos productos con más de 6,25 g de azúcar por 100 ml de bebida y disminuyendo el impuesto de 13% a 10% en los productos con menos de 6,25 g de azúcar por 100 ml de bebida)3 , el Sistema Elige Vivir Sano del Ministerio de Desarrollo Social 4 y la ley de etiquetado frontal de alimentos con sellos con mensajes de advertencia nutricional (Ley 20.606)5 , el cual se implementó desde Junio 2016. Aunque la evidencia respecto del impacto de esta política en los hábitos de consumo y las decisiones de compra de alimentos por parte de la población no es totalmente concluyente,6 7 8 algunos grupos poblacionales (madres de niños pequeños) perciben que estas regulaciones están cambiando las percepciones, actitudes y algunos comportamientos hacia patrones de alimentación más saludables. Actualmente, la ley de etiquetado aplica exclusivamente a productos envasados, los que habitualmente son comprados en pequeños almacenes de barrio, ferias libres o supermercados. Sin embargo, una proporción importante de la población es consumidora de comida rápida ya sea de manera presencial ­ por ejemplo, acudiendo a locales independientes, a franquicias o a cadenas de comida rápida en centros comerciales ­ o a través de la compra remota y el reparto/entrega a domicilio de estos productos. Durante los últimos 2 años esta tendencia se ha intensificado dada las limitaciones a la movilidad impuestas - especialmente durante el año 2020 - para el manejo de la pandemia por COVID-19.10 Por lo tanto, es de interés del Ministerio de Salud explorar una posible extensión de la política de etiquetado frontal de advertencia, revisando la evidencia relacionada con la implementación de los etiquetados frontales de alimentos en otros ambientes de venta de alimentos como casinos, cafeterías y restaurantes de comida rápida. OPCIONES PARA ABORDAR EL PROBLEMA: A partir del problema identificado surge la posibilidad de extender la actual política de etiquetado frontal de alimentos empaquetados hacia locales de venta y consumo de comida rápida. De esta manera, las opciones de política para abordar el problema corresponden a alternativas de implementación de etiquetado nutricional. En este contexto, cabe precisar, en primer lugar, las definiciones de etiquetado de alimentos que serán utilizadas en este resumen de evidencia, para luego identificar las posibles opciones para abordar el problema. MÉTODOS: La metodología de la búsqueda sistemática de evidencia sobre las diferentes ubicaciones se describe en el Cuadro 1. Para cada opción se diseñó una estrategia de búsqueda en base a palabras claves sobre cada una de las ubicaciones de etiquetado nutricional, la que fue ejecutada en Epistemonikos. Además, se elaboró una segunda estrategia de búsqueda que incluyó todas las ubicaciones (ver Anexo 1). Las referencias identificadas con ambas estrategias, luego de eliminar duplicados, fueron cribadas por 2 investigadores de manera independiente. La selección de las revisiones sistemáticas y sus estudios primarios respondió a los siguientes criterios: 1. Evaluar el uso de etiquetados de nutrientes específicos interpretativos. 2. Que el ámbito en donde se realicen las investigaciones sea en restaurantes, cafeterías, cadenas o locales de comida rápida. 3. Incluir información respecto a alguno de los desenlaces considerados relevantes por el equipo elaborador y la contraparte: a. Consumo (ingesta calórica): cantidad de calorías ingeridas. b. Compras o ventas de productos con etiquetado nutricional: considera cambios en el volumen o proporción de productos vendidos/comprados (ej. cambio en la compra o venta de alimentos poco nutritivos o saludables), cambios en la frecuencia de compras de productos etiquetados y cambios en la cantidad de calorías compradas. c. Visibilidad del etiquetado: si el cliente identifica la presencia de una etiqueta asociada al producto que desea adquirir. d. Comprensión del etiquetado: si una vez que el cliente visualiza el etiquetado, logra comprender la información que contiene. e. Cambios de actitud del usuario (reporte subjetivo de cambios en la compra o consumo o en la intención de compra/consumo) y cambios en el comportamiento de la industria. f. Aceptabilidad o valoración de la política: evaluada subjetivamente por los clientes/consumidores. g. Costos. 4. Incluir comparaciones entre alguna(s) de las opciones de ubicación del etiquetado nutricional y una alternativa sin etiquetado. Es decir, un equivalente que permitiera "aislar" el efecto de la ubicación específica de etiquetado: por ejemplo, menú con etiquetado versus menú sin etiquetado. RESULTADOS De 674 resultados obtenidos inicialmente, se identificaron once revisiones sistemáticas [1 - 11] que respondían a la pregunta de interés (ver Figura 3). De éstas, nueve abordaron la opción de menú [2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11], seis la opción de soportes [1, 3, 4, 6, 10, 11], cuatro la opción de ambiente [1, 4, 6, 10], cuatro la de paquete contenedor del producto [1, 4, 6, 10] y dos la de etiquetado nutricional en contextos de venta virtual [2, 5]. CONSIDERACIONES DE IMPLEMENTACIÓN: Dado que gran parte de la literatura relacionada con los aspectos de implementación de los etiquetados nutricionales en establecimientos de comida rápida tienen un abordaje genérico, sin diferenciar entre las diferentes ubicaciones del etiquetado, las consideraciones de implementación se presentan de manera general para los diferentes grupos de interés. El análisis de barreras y facilitadores se basó principalmente en los resultados de una revisión sistemática identificada en la búsqueda inicial de este resumen de evidencia, la cual fue excluida del análisis de hallazgos de evidencia dado que no presentó evidencia de efectividad o impacto [24]. El objetivo de esta revisión sistemática fue sintetizar la evidencia de las barreras y facilitadores percibidos respecto de la implementación de intervenciones de etiquetado en los menús desde la perspectiva de la industria alimentaria. No hubo restricciones respecto del formato o esquema de etiquetado en los menús, tipos de estudios, lenguaje o año de publicación. La revisión identificó 17 estudios primarios, 8 de ellos utilizaron métodos cuantitativos para la recolección de datos, 7 utilizaron métodos cualitativos y 2 métodos mixtos. La mayoría de los estudios (n = 15) se realizaron en países de altos ingresos [24].

Development of the Choices 5-Level Criteria to Support Multiple Food System Actions.

In 2008, the Choices International Foundation developed its logo criteria, identifying best-in-class food products. More advanced, global and graded nutrient profiling systems (NPSs) are needed to substantiate different national nutrition policies. The objective of this work was to extend Choices NPS to identify five levels of the healthiness of food products, so that the Choices NPS can also be used to support other nutrition policies, next to front-of-pack labelling. Based on the same principles as the previous logo criteria, four sets of threshold criteria were determined using a combination of compliance levels, calculated from a large international food group-specific database, the Choices logo criteria, and WHO-NPSs developed to restrict marketing to children. Validation consisted of a comparison with indicator foods from food-based dietary guidelines from various countries. Some thresholds were adjusted after the validation, e.g., because intermediate thresholds were too lenient. This resulted in a new international NPS that can be applied to different contexts and to support a variety of health policies, to prevent both undernutrition and obesity. It can efficiently evaluate mixed food products and represents a flexible tool, applicable in various settings and populations.

Etiquetado nutricional y perfil de aminoácidos en lácteos chilenos altos en proteína: nueva alternativa para la salud y el deporte / Nutritional labeling and amino acid profile in high protein Chilean dairy products: a new alternative for health and sports

Introducción: la proteína es un nutriente esencial que se puede obtener a través de diferentes fuentes alimentarias. En los últimos años, un creciente desarrollo de la industria alimentaria de productos lácteos con mayor aporte en proteínas ha surgido en el mercado nacional. Métodos: el presente trabajo analizó la información nutricional, el contenido proteico y el perfil de aminoácidos de una serie de yogures altos en proteína. Se seleccionaron 5 principales marcas de yogures altos en proteína (YP), una muestra de yogur batido (YBAT) y una de proteina de suero de leche aislado (WP) a las que se realizó un análisis proximal y un perfil de aminoácidos por cromatografía líquida de alto rendimiento (HPLC). Resultados: se pudo observar que el contenido de proteína de los YP analizados varió entre 7,2-15,1 g/porción, lo que representa del 6,8 al 11 % del contenido total, el doble del contenido del YBAT (3,4 %). Respecto a los hidratos de carbono y grasas, estos se encontraron entre 6,25 y 13,5 g/porción y 0,9 y 5,3 g/porción, respectivamente. El contenido de leucina de los YP varió entre 0,6 y 1,5 g/porción, con valores superiores a los de los YBAT (0,3 g/porción) e inferiores a los de las WP (2,2 g/porción). La suma de aminoácidos esenciales se encontró entre 3 y 6,9 g/porción en los YP, 1,7 g/porción en los YBAT y 8,5 g/porción en las WP. Conclusión: estos resultados demuestran que los YP son una buena alternativa para promover una correcta ingesta proteica, semejante a las proteínas de uso deportivo, por lo que su recomendación podría ser útil para promover su consumo en diferentes poblaciones según sus necesidades. (AU)

Introduction: protein is an essential nutrient that can be obtained through different food sources. In recent years, a growing development in the food industry of dairy products with higher protein content has emerged in the national market. Métodos: the present work analyzed the nutritional information, protein content, and amino acid profile of high protein yogurts. Five main brands of high-protein yogurt (PY) were selected, as was a sample of regular yogurt (RY), and one of whey protein isolate (WP), which underwent a proximal analysis and amino acid profile by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results: it was observed that the protein content of the analyzed YP ranged between 7.2 and 15.1 g/portion, representing 6.8 % to 11 % of total content, twice the content of YBAT (3,4 %). Regarding carbohydrates and fats, these were found to range between 6.25 and 13.5 g/serving and 0.9 and 5.3 g/serving, respectively. Leucine content of the PY varied between 0.6 and 1.5 g/portion, which was higher than RY (0.3 g/portion) and lower than WP (2.2 g/portion). The sum of essential amino acids was found to be between 3 and 6.9 g/portion in PY, 1.7 g/serving and 8.5 g/serving in WP. Conclusion: these results show that PYs are a good alternative to promote a correct protein intake, similar to proteins for sports use, so their recommendation could be useful to promote consumption in different populations according to their needs. (AU)

"Front-of-pack" nutrition labeling.

Excess intake of energy, sugars, salt and saturated fats is an important causal factor of obesity and related non-communicable diseases. In order to help consumers to make healthy food choices, many European countries have developed proposals for "front-of-pack" food labeling, intended as an integration to the nutritional information provided by the mandatory nutritional declaration. Based on the European strategic program "Farm to Fork", the intention is to achieve a harmonized front-of-pack label proposal by Q4 2022. Among the different proposals, the one which received most attention by experts and greater feedback by the EU member countries is the Nutri-Score, a tool based on an algorithm whereby a "quality" category ranging from A to E is assigned to each single food on a background colored from dark green to dark orange. As an alternative to Nutri-Score, the NutrInform Battery has been developed by Italy in association with a few other EU member states: this proposal is objectively alternative to the Nutri-Score proposal due to a different underlying philosophy, in particular for its informative and educational intent rather than purchase orientation. The present document, prepared by the Scientific Board and reviewed by the Scientific Council of the Italian Society of Human Nutrition, represents the scientific-based position of the Society in relation to the general theme of front-of-pack labeling and in particular to the dualism created between the Nutri-Score and NutrInform Battery proposals.

Rotulagem do leite humano ordenhado pasteurizado / Etiquetado de la leche humana extraída pasteurizada / Labeling of pasteurized expressed human milk

Esta Norma Técnica tem por objetivo estabelecer o processo de rotulagem de recipientes ou frascos que acondicionem o leite humano ordenhado pasteurizado, visando a garantia da qualidade em Bancos de Leite Humano e sua certificação.

El objetivo de esta Norma Técnica es establecer el proceso de etiquetado de los recipientes o frascos que acondicionen leche humana extraída pasteurizada, con el fin de asegurar la calidad de los Bancos de Leche Humana y su certificación.

Seleção e classificação leite humano ordenhado cru / Selection and classification raw expressed human milk

Esta Norma Técnica tem por objetivo estabelecer os critérios necessários para seleção e classificação do leite humano ordenhado cru, visando a garantia da qualidade em Bancos de Leite Humano e sua certificação.

Rotulagem do leite humano ordenhado cru / Labeling expressed breast milk

Esta Norma Técnica tem por objetivo estabelecer o processo de rotulagem de recipientes ou frascos que acondicionem o leite humano ordenhado cru em Bancos de Leite Humano e Postos de Coleta de Leite Humano, visando a garantia da qualidade nestes serviços e sua certificação.

A comparison of cell-based and cell-cultured as appropriate common or usual names to label products made from the cells of fish.

Using an online experiment with a nationally representative sample of 1200 adult American consumers, two "common or usual names," "Cell-Based Seafood" and "Cell-Cultured Seafood," were assessed using five criteria. Displayed on packages of frozen Atlantic Salmon, both "Cell-Based" (60.1%) and "Cell-Cultured" (58.9%) enabled participants to differentiate the novel products from "Farm-Raised" and "Wild-Caught" fish and 74% also recognized that those allergic to fish should not consume the product. Thus, both names met key regulatory criteria. Both names were seen as appropriate terms for describing the process for creating the product, meeting the criteria for transparency. There were no significant differences in the perceived safety, naturalness, taste, or nutritiousness of the products bearing the two names. However, participants' overall impressions associated with "Cell-Based" were rated as more positive than those associated with "Cell-Cultured" (P < 0.001, η2  = 0.010), as were their initial thoughts, images, and feelings (P < 0.001, η2  = 0.008). The participants were also slightly more interested in tasting (P < 0.05, η2  = 0.004) and in purchasing (P < 0.01, η2  = 0.006) "Cell-Based" than "Cell-Cultured" seafood. After learning the meaning of the terms, participants' overall impressions of "Cell-Based" remained higher than "Cell-Cultured" (P < 0.05, η2  = 0.003) and they remained slightly more interested in tasting (P < 0.05, η2  = 0.004) and in purchasing (P < 0.05, η2  = 0.005) "Cell-Based" than "Cell-Cultured" seafood. Therefore, "Cell-Based Seafood" should be adopted as the best common or usual name for seafood made from the cells of fish. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Widespread adoption and consistent use of a single "common or usual name" for "Cell-Based" seafood, meat, poultry, and other products by the food industry, regulators, journalists, marketers, environmental, consumer, and animal rights advocates, and other key stakeholders would help shape public perceptions and understanding of this rapidly advancing technology and its products. This study confirms that "Cell-Based Seafood" is the best performing term to label seafood products made from the cells of fish. It meets relevant FDA regulatory requirements and slightly outperforms "Cell-Cultured Seafood" with regard to positive consumer perceptions, interest in tasting, and likelihood of purchasing these novel products.

A Graded Approach for Evaluating Health Claims about Plant-Based Food Supplements: Application of a Case Study Methodology.

The implementation of REGULATION (EC) No 1924/2006 has led to the formation of a list of health claims that can be used in food supplements (EU 432/2012). However, such supplements are often composed of plant preparations with claims omitted from this list. The peculiarity of plants is related to their long history of use, that could allow claims based on traditionally recognized health effects. In addition, the scientific literature has been enriched over the years through clinical studies that have assessed the bioavailability and efficacy of bioactive components, and investigated their mechanisms of action. Based on existing recognized models which aim to classify research according to the level of scientific evidence, Synadiet developed a three-grade model (A, B or C) for assessing plants health claims. In this paper, the applicability of the model is illustrated through an example for which a Grade B health claim attesting the possible contribution of red clover isoflavones to the improvement of blood lipid levels in postmenopausal women has been attributed. The model appears able to be easily extrapolated to claims pertaining to other plants. If adopted by consensus at European level, this model could initiate the implementation of a positive list of health claims on plant preparations.

Nutrition and Health Claims Spectra of Pre-Packaged Foods on Serbian Supermarket Shelves: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study.

Nutrition and health claims (NHCs) are a powerful tool that influence consumers' final decision on the choice of food products. The purposes of this repeated cross-sectional study were to (i) assess the prevalence of pre-packaged food products containing nutrition and health claims among different food categories, (ii) to determine the type of NHCs labelled on the examined food products, and (iii) to evaluate the trend in the use of NHCs in comparison to the 2012 survey. The survey was conducted immediately before the full enforcement of the new national legislation on NHCs in 2020. It comprised 3141 pre-packaged food products from 10 product categories. In total, 21.2% of food products contained any claim (19.4% contained any nutrition claim; 8.2% contained any health claim). In comparison to the 2012 survey, we observed a rising trend in the presence of NHCs; the use of nutrition claims on food products increased three times and the use of health claims increased 1.3 times in the 2020 survey. Bearing in mind that NHCs are a powerful tool guiding consumers' food purchase decisions, NHCs should be supported by precise legislation and strict surveillance by the public health authorities.

Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fisheries Threatening Shark Conservation in African Waters Revealed from High Levels of Shark Mislabelling in Ghana.

Mislabelling of fish and fish products has attracted much attention over the last decades, following public awareness of the practice of substituting high-value with low-value fish in markets, restaurants, and processed seafood. In some cases, mislabelling includes illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, contributing to overexploit substitute species that are undetectable when sold under wrong names. This is the first study of DNA barcoding to assess the level of mislabelling in fish marketed in Ghana, focusing on endangered shark species. Genetic identification was obtained from 650 base pair sequences within the cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene. All except one of 17 shark fillets analysed were wrongly labelled as compared with none of 28 samples of small commercial pelagic fish and 14 commercial shark samples purchased in Europe. Several substitute shark species in Ghana are endangered (Carcharhinussignatus and Isurusoxyrinchus) and critically endangered (Squatina aculeata). Shark products commercialized in Europe (n = 14) did not reveal mislabelling, thus specific shark mislabelling cannot be generalized. Although based on a limited number of samples and fish markets, the results that reveal trade of endangered sharks in Ghana markets encourage Ghanaian authorities to improve controls to enforce conservation measures.