The healthfulness of major food brands according to Health Canada’s nutrient profile model for proposed restrictions on food marketing to children
Abstract Objective: To examine the proportion of products offered by leading food brands in Canada that are ‘unhealthy’ according to Health Canada’s (HC) nutrient profile model for proposed restrictions on food marketing to children (M2K-NPM). Design: Nutritional information for products offered...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Public Health Nutrition |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1368980024002659/type/journal_article |
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| author | Laura Vergeer Christine Mulligan Hayun Jeong Ayesha Khan Mary R L’Abbé |
| author_facet | Laura Vergeer Christine Mulligan Hayun Jeong Ayesha Khan Mary R L’Abbé |
| author_sort | Laura Vergeer |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Abstract
Objective:
To examine the proportion of products offered by leading food brands in Canada that are ‘unhealthy’ according to Health Canada’s (HC) nutrient profile model for proposed restrictions on food marketing to children (M2K-NPM).
Design:
Nutritional information for products offered by top brands was sourced from the University of Toronto FLIP and Menu-FLIP 2020 databases, respectively. HC’s M2K-NPM, which includes thresholds for Na, total sugars and saturated fat, was applied to products.
Setting:
Canada.
Participants:
Overall, 1385 products from top breakfast cereal (n 15 brands, n 222 products), beverage (n 21 brands, n 769 products) and yogurt (n 10 brands, n 394 products) brands, and 3153 menu items from seventeen chain restaurants in Canada were assessed (n 60 unique brands overall).
Results:
For 42 % of brands (n 21), 100 % of their products exceeded ≥1 nutrient threshold(s), with ≥50 % of the products offered by twenty-three brands (46 %) exceeding two thresholds. Specifically, one or more nutrient thresholds were exceeded by ≥50 % of the products offered by 14/15 breakfast cereal brands, 18/21 beverage brands, all ten yogurt brands and all seventeen restaurant brands. Notably, 100·0 % of the products offered by ten breakfast cereal, six beverage, two yogurt and three restaurant brands exceeded ≥1 threshold(s).
Conclusions:
Most products offered by top food brands in Canada exceeded HC’s M2K-NPM thresholds. Nonetheless, these brands could still be marketed under the proposed regulations, which exclude brand marketing (i.e. promotions without an identifiable product) despite its contribution to marketing power. These findings reinforce the need for Canada and other countries to include brand marketing in M2K policies.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8cb6e79f3d4746cd96044cf478936f1d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1368-9800 1475-2727 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Public Health Nutrition |
| spelling | doaj-art-8cb6e79f3d4746cd96044cf478936f1d2025-01-20T08:05:47ZengCambridge University PressPublic Health Nutrition1368-98001475-27272025-01-012810.1017/S1368980024002659The healthfulness of major food brands according to Health Canada’s nutrient profile model for proposed restrictions on food marketing to childrenLaura Vergeer0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3982-5002Christine Mulligan1Hayun Jeong2https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1969-1241Ayesha Khan3Mary R L’Abbé4Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaDepartment of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaDepartment of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaDepartment of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaDepartment of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada Abstract Objective: To examine the proportion of products offered by leading food brands in Canada that are ‘unhealthy’ according to Health Canada’s (HC) nutrient profile model for proposed restrictions on food marketing to children (M2K-NPM). Design: Nutritional information for products offered by top brands was sourced from the University of Toronto FLIP and Menu-FLIP 2020 databases, respectively. HC’s M2K-NPM, which includes thresholds for Na, total sugars and saturated fat, was applied to products. Setting: Canada. Participants: Overall, 1385 products from top breakfast cereal (n 15 brands, n 222 products), beverage (n 21 brands, n 769 products) and yogurt (n 10 brands, n 394 products) brands, and 3153 menu items from seventeen chain restaurants in Canada were assessed (n 60 unique brands overall). Results: For 42 % of brands (n 21), 100 % of their products exceeded ≥1 nutrient threshold(s), with ≥50 % of the products offered by twenty-three brands (46 %) exceeding two thresholds. Specifically, one or more nutrient thresholds were exceeded by ≥50 % of the products offered by 14/15 breakfast cereal brands, 18/21 beverage brands, all ten yogurt brands and all seventeen restaurant brands. Notably, 100·0 % of the products offered by ten breakfast cereal, six beverage, two yogurt and three restaurant brands exceeded ≥1 threshold(s). Conclusions: Most products offered by top food brands in Canada exceeded HC’s M2K-NPM thresholds. Nonetheless, these brands could still be marketed under the proposed regulations, which exclude brand marketing (i.e. promotions without an identifiable product) despite its contribution to marketing power. These findings reinforce the need for Canada and other countries to include brand marketing in M2K policies. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1368980024002659/type/journal_articleFood marketingBrand marketingMarketing to childrenNutrient profile modelFood marketing policyCanada |
| spellingShingle | Laura Vergeer Christine Mulligan Hayun Jeong Ayesha Khan Mary R L’Abbé The healthfulness of major food brands according to Health Canada’s nutrient profile model for proposed restrictions on food marketing to children Public Health Nutrition Food marketing Brand marketing Marketing to children Nutrient profile model Food marketing policy Canada |
| title | The healthfulness of major food brands according to Health Canada’s nutrient profile model for proposed restrictions on food marketing to children |
| title_full | The healthfulness of major food brands according to Health Canada’s nutrient profile model for proposed restrictions on food marketing to children |
| title_fullStr | The healthfulness of major food brands according to Health Canada’s nutrient profile model for proposed restrictions on food marketing to children |
| title_full_unstemmed | The healthfulness of major food brands according to Health Canada’s nutrient profile model for proposed restrictions on food marketing to children |
| title_short | The healthfulness of major food brands according to Health Canada’s nutrient profile model for proposed restrictions on food marketing to children |
| title_sort | healthfulness of major food brands according to health canada s nutrient profile model for proposed restrictions on food marketing to children |
| topic | Food marketing Brand marketing Marketing to children Nutrient profile model Food marketing policy Canada |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1368980024002659/type/journal_article |
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