Nutrition Labelling and Children & Adolescents

1. Nutrition Labelling and Children & Adolescents

2. Children and Adolescents • Important stage of growth and development • Adequate nutrients to meet the needs of growth and development • Inadequate nutritional intake • delay body growth/ development • adversely affect mental development and learning abilities • Excessive nutritional intake • overweight/ obese • increase risk of developing chronic diseases

3. Balanced Diet • Variety • Appropriate amount Source of information : Department of Health

4. Principles of Healthy Eating • Adopt “3 Low 1 High” Healthy Eating Principles • Choose food low in fat, sodium and sugars as well as high in dietary fibre

5. Growth and Development • Children and adolescents at stage of puberty • Rapid growing • Important stage of muscle, bone and teeth development • Bone development occurs during childhood and adolescence • The higher the density of the bones formed, the lower is the risk of developing osteoporosis • Balanced diet • E.g. choose food rich in calcium • Get enough energy and protein

6. Childhood Obesity • Obesity has become more and more common in both developed and developing countries • Affecting children/adolescent. The prevalence is on the rise Consequences/Impact of childhood obesity: • More likely to stay obese into adulthood • Increase the risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart diseases at a younger age • May have lower self-esteem and poorer body image

7. Definition of Overweight (including obesity) Weight > median weight-for-height × 120% Source of information : Department of Health

9. Local Situation • According to the Department of Health,

10. Prevalence of Overweight (including obesity) among Local Primary School Students Source of information : Department of Health

11. Prevalence of Overweight (including obesity) among Local Secondary School Students Source of information : Department of Health

12. Causes of overweight/obesity in children/ adolescents • Imbalance between energy consumed and energy expended • eating too much food • frequent intake of sugary and fatty foods as well as fast food • Sedentary lifestyle • lack of exercise • watching TV and playing computer games as main activities • Others: diseases, medication, hereditary

13. Energy and Body Weight • Major sources of energy： • 1 g of fat = 9 kilocalories • 1 g of protein = 4 kilocalories • 1 g of carbohydrates = 4 kilocalories • *1 kilocalorie (kcal)= 1 Calorie ≈ 4.2 kilojoules (kJ) • Unused energy will be stored as fat in the body

14. Weight reduction/ Weight maintenance • Weight reduction/ weight maintenance • Adopt balanced diet. Follow the portion in Food Pyramid • Cut down on foods that are high in energy, fat and/or sugars • Increase the activity levels (e.g. sports) • Make use of nutrition labels to make healthy food choices • Choose food lower in energy, total fat and sugars

15. Read and Use Nutrition Labels

16. Examples of Recommended Format of Nutrition Label 1 7 Tabular format

17. Examples of Recommended Format of Nutrition Label Linear format (for small packages with total surface area of less than 200 cm2)

18. Required Nutrients on Nutrition Labels • 1+7 (energy plus seven nutrients specified for labelling) – i.e. energy,protein, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, carbohydrates, sugars and sodium. • Nutrient(s) involved in nutrition claim(s) (when the nutrition claim is on any type of fat, the amount of cholesterol must be declared as well). • For other nutrients, declaration is voluntary

19. Making Use of Nutrition Label Consumers can: • Compare the nutritional content among different foods for a healthier choice, e.g. choose food that is lower in fat, sodium (or salt) and sugars. • Understand the nutritional content of food and estimate their contribution to the overall diet. • To meet individual’s dietary needs.

20. Three Simple Steps to Read Nutrition Label

21. Three Simple Steps to Read Nutrition Label Step 1 • Take note of the reference amount of food being used in the nutrition label Step2 • Read the energy and nutrient content together with the reference amount Step3 • Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference Value (%NRV), if available, to see if the food contains a lot or a little of energy or a nutrient in the food

22. Step 1: Take note of the reference amount of food being used in the nutrition label • Expressed as per 100 g (or per 100 mL) of food

23. Step 1: Take note of the reference amount of food being used in the nutrition label • Expressed as per serving (the serving size (in g or mL) and the no. of servings must be specified on the package)

24. Step 1: Take note of the reference amount of food being used in the nutrition label • Expressed as per package (if the package contains only a single serving)

25. Step 2:Read the energy and nutrient content together with the reference amount • Use nutrition label to compare between products • Use nutrition label to calculate the amount of energy and nutrients you get from food

26. Step 2A:Use nutrition label to compare between products (Partial) Nutrition label of Brand A biscuit (Partial) Nutrition label of Brand C biscuit • Products with nutritional content expresssed in the SAME reference amount If reference amount is the SAME, you CAN COMPARE between the products DIRECTLY

27. Step 2A:Use nutrition label to compare between products (Partial) Nutrition label of Brand A biscuit (Partial) Nutrition label of Brand D biscuit • Products with nutritional content expresssed in DIFFERENT reference amounts If reference amounts are DIFFERENT, you CANNOT COMPARE between the products DIRECTLY

28. Step 2A:Use nutrition label to compare between products • Products with nutritional content expresssed in DIFFERENT reference amounts

29. Step 2B:Use nutrition label to calculate the amount of energy and nutrients you get from food • The more you eat, the more you get • If you eat 1 serving of biscuit • Get 8 g of fat, 3.5 g of saturated fat • If you eat 2 servings of biscuit • Get 16 g of fat, 7 g of saturated fat

30. Step 2B:Use nutrition label to calculate the amount of energy and nutrients you get from food • Energy and nutrient content expressed as per 100 g/mL

31. Step 3: Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference Value (%NRV), if available, to see if the food contains a lot or a little of energy or a nutrient in the food • %NRV is usually on a scale from 0% to 100%.

32. Step 3: Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference Value (%NRV), if available, to see if the food contains a lot or a little of energy or a nutrient in the food • For nutrients that needed to limit their intake • E.g. total fat, saturated fat, sodium and sugars • Look for foods that have lower %NRV • Get enough of nutrients that are good for health • E.g. dietary fibre • Look for foods that have higher %NRV

33. Use Nutrition Label to Choose Prepackaged Food for Children/Adolescents

34. Nutrition Labelling is a Useful Tool for Practising Healthy Eating • Nutrition label and nutrition claim can help children/adolescents choose suitable prepackaged food in accordance with healthy eating principles and their own physical conditions, e.g. • Choose food higher in calcium • For weight control, choose food lower in energy, total fat and sugars

35. How to Choose Prepackaged Food for Children/Adolescents • Use nutrition claim as a quick screening tool; and • Take three simple steps to read nutrition label

36. How to Choose Prepackaged Food for Children/Adolescents The words below are considered as synonyms for nutrition claims, they may help you choose food with higher calcium:

37. How to Choose Prepackaged Food for Children/Adolescents The words below are considered as synonyms for nutrition claims. For weight control, they may help you choose food with lower energy, fat, or sugars:

38. How to Choose Prepackaged Food for Children/Adolescents Three Simple Steps to Read Nutrition Label Step 1 • Take note of the reference amount of food being used in the nutrition label Step 2 • Read and compare the nutritional content Step 3 • Refer to the percentage Nutrient Reference Value (%NRV) (If available)

39. How to Choose Prepackaged Food for Children/Adolescents– Example 1 Milk beverage A Milk beverage B

40. How to Choose Prepackaged Food for Children/Adolescents– Example 2 Corn flakes C Corn flakes D

41. How to Choose Prepackaged Food for Children/Adolescents– Example 3 Biscuit E Biscuit F

42. Healthy Snacks • Healthy Snacks • replenish the water and energy lost during daily activities • Make up for those food groups and nutrients absent in main meals • Tips for eating snacks - Snack between main meals. At least having 1.5 - 2 hours between two intakes. - Snacks should be small in amount so as to avoid spoiling the appetite for the next main meal • Choose more fresh and natural food • For prepackaged food, choose those “3 Low” products – Lower in fat, sodium (salt) and sugars

43. Compare the Pair (1) vs Contain not more than 5 g of sugars per 100 g of solid food

44. Compare the Pair (2) vs Contain not more than 3 g of total fat per 100 g of solid food

45. Compare the Pair (3) vs

46. Compare the Pair (4) vs Contain not less than 120 mg of calcium per 100 mL liquid food

47. End