Abstract

CUEVAS-CASADO, I.; ROMERO-FERNANDEZ, M. M.  and  ROYO-BORDONADA, M. Á.. Use of nutrition marketing in products advertised on TV in Spain. Nutr. Hosp. [online]. 2012, vol.27, n.5, pp.1569-1575. ISSN 1699-5198.  https://dx.doi.org/10.3305/nh.2012.27.5.5905.

Background: Nutrition marketing has generated a great amount of consumer interest; however, improper use of this type of marketing could mislead consumers. Objectives: To describe the frequency and proper use in Spain of nutrition marketing for products advertised on television while analyzing their nutrient profile for comparison. Methods: Advertised food and drink products included in the study were selected after watching 80 hours of broadcasting of 4 Spanish television channels during May and June 2008. Upon purchase of the selected items, we estimated the frequency of use of the different nutrition marketing approaches, the proportion of nutritional and health claims meeting European regulations, and the proportion of less healthy products according to the United Kingdom Nutrient Profile Model UKNPM. Results: Of the 88 products examined, 74% used nutrition marketing approaches. Half of the advertisements made nutrition claims and 42% health claims. The majority (89%) of the 83 nutrition claims met European regulations, with the category of "light products" being the least compliant with only 25% of products meeting regulations. Of the 37 product advertisements making health claims, 43% used authorized statements, of which, however, 75% also included unauthorized claims. Nutrient profile was less healthy in 55% of the products resorting to nutrition marketing. Conclusion: Lack of compliance with European regulations regarding nutrition and health claims, combined with the "less healthy" nutrient profile of many of the products marketed using these claims, may mislead Spanish consumers. To avoid this misinformation, it would be beneficial to: a) monitor level of adherence to regulations systematically; and b) introduce the use of nutrient profiles to approve these types of claims.

Keywords : Nutrition marketing; Nutrition claim; Health claim; Nutrient profile.

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