Development and Application of Healthiness Indicators for Commercial Establishments That Sell Foods for Immediate Consumption.

Studies of food environments lack easy-to-apply indicators for their characterization and monitoring. This study aimed to create and assess the applicability of an a priori classification of establishments that sell foods for immediate consumption and to develop and apply indicators for assessment of the establishments' healthiness. The indicators were grouped by the types of foods sold most frequently at these establishments, according to the extent and purpose of the foods' industrial processing. Four indicators were developed, based on the availability of unprocessed/minimally processed foods (MPF) and ultra-processed foods (UPF) in the establishments. The classification and indicators were applied to commercial food establishments at two Brazilian universities. Descriptive analyses were performed to characterize the food environment for all the establishments and by university. Two proportion indicators assess the relative availability of subgroups of MPF and UPF. The UPF/MPF ratio expresses the relative advantage/disadvantage of the availability of MPF compared to that of UPF. The Healthiness Index or summary score expresses the availability of MPF and the unavailability of UPF. The classification and indicators present good discriminatory power and are easy to operationalize, interpret, and adapt.

Fatty acid profile of biscuits and salty snacks consumed by Brazilian college students.

High levels of biscuit and salty snack consumption have an effect on human health. This aim of this study was to determine the fatty acid (FA) composition of 19 different biscuits and 10 types of salty snacks by gas chromatography. Palmitic acid was predominant in 79% of biscuits and represented more than 55% of the total saturated fatty acids (SFAs) in salty snacks. Low concentrations of trans fatty acids were observed in biscuits (0.86% of total FAs), and the highest values were observed in salty snacks (7.94% of total FAs). The results indicate a high daily intake of SFAs and trans fatty acids, which may have an unfavourable effect on health. Changes in dietary habits and appropriate food choices by students are strongly recommended to prevent the risk of chronic disease. Furthermore, knowledge of the FA profile of food can help to establish health programs targeted to this population.