Percepción de diferentes grupos etarios sobre el etiquetado nutricional y el sistema interpretativo del semáforo nutricional

Abstract

Background: as an answer to the high rating of overweight and obesity in Ecuador, the Ministry of Public Health and the National Agency of Regulation, Control and Health Surveillance (Ministerio de Salud Pública and Agencia Nacional de Regulación, Control y Vigilancia Sanitaria (ARCSA)) developed a Graphic System for the Interpretation of the Nutritional Labeling of Processed Foods. General Aim: to analyze the perspective of different age groups from the rural and urban areas of the Cuenca canton about comprehension of the Nutritional Labeling, the Interpretative System of processed foods and, consumer preferences. Methodology: this was a qualitative study. Six focus groups were performed, each one with a different demographic group: adolescents, children’s mothers, and elderly people from rural and urban areas of Cuenca canton, of the province of Azuay, Ecuador. About six to eight people participated in each group. The experts’ opinions from the food industry, the food trade, and the health sector were collected using the Delphi methodology. Results: lack of education about the Labeling and the Nutritional Light was observed among the different age groups. Population does not consider nutritional content when buying products or consuming them. In Delphi interview, the industry experts held that the Nutritional Traffic Light System decreased sales of certain products. On the other hand, the health sector’s perspective only considered the improvement of feeding habits and not the negative effects in the productive and commercial sectors. Conclusion: it is necessary to educate the population so that they can interpret and use the information in the Labeling and Nutritional Traffic Light System before they buy and consume food