Retrospective Biographical Cohort Research tracking the development of food labeling in Egypt since 1980s to date

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Fats and Oils Department, The National Research Centre, 12622, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt University of Aberdeen, Scotland, The Rowett Institute

Abstract

ABSTRACT
Addressing the radical changes in the food labeling industry since 1980s to date will give insights and recommendations about the future of food labels and how food policies and policymakers must be in alignment with this critical public health industry.
Especially that obesity prevalence has markedly escalated in the last few decades.Lab analysis showed that fat content in the 3 different commercial food products was more or less identical to that found on the labels. Nevertheless, with secondary analysis, it has been statistically recorded that some products have higher quality of oils than the others, moreover some of them were vulnerable to rancidity when exposed to mild heat or environmental conditions, e.g. Humidity and Air.
The nutritional Analysis revealed that certain products stand out to consumers in exchange for the rest of brands, in accordance to the total energy amounts, but also in terms of fat quality and balanced macronutrients. This to highlight the opportunity and the risks of the core ingredients of some commercial food products.
The research was conducted in 3 separate sections that combine qualitative and quantitative designs for more comprehensive understanding:
Primarily, Retrospective Biographical Qualitative Cohort study was conducted, which is an observational study, analysing food labels from the past since 1980s till nowadays.
Thereafter, Experimental Quantitative Lab Analysis, by fat extraction methods of some commercial food products, to check the accuracy of the lipid content on the labels along with quantitative comparative analysis of energy content and lipid content of diverse food products of different ingredients without repetition.
The study tracked the development in food labelling industry since 1980s to date in Egypt with conclusions about the future of food labelling technologies based on the past and the present approaches. Also, to verify the lipid content mentioned on the f ood labels by fat extraction lab analysis. Finally, a comparison analysis has been set for the energy and lipid contents in distinct global commercial products with different core ingredients, drawing conclusions about the best to prioritise for consumption.
 Abstract should be accurate, self-contained, and readable. It should describe the purpose of study, methodology, summary of findings/results, conclusion. Abstract should be unstructured, i.e. should not contain sections or subheadings. Abstract must not exceed 300 word.

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