Análisis de alimentos procesados etiquetados con contenido de sal y grasa que se expenden en supermercados de Cuenca. Octubre 2019 – marzo de 2020

Abstract

Background: At least 2.8 million people die each year from diseases related to overweight and obesity. The Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, encourages private companies to adopt responsible practices, particularly with the promotion and commercialization of foods high in saturated fat, trans fatty acids, sugars and salt. In Ecuador since 2013, the ‘Sanitary Regulation of Labeling of processed foods for human consumption’ is in force. Objective: To determine and analyze the components of the nutritional labeling of packaged and processed foods that contain salt and / or fat that are sold in supermarkets in the city of Cuenca in the period October 2019-March 2020. Methodology: It is a descriptive, cross sectional study. The largest and most frequent assistance supermarket chains in the city of Cuenca, Azuay were selected. Photographs of the products containing salt and / or fat were made using a standardized methodology according to the protocol of the International Network for

research, monitoring and support for the action of food, obesity and chronic, non- communicable diseases.

Results: With a total of 578 products analyzed, the category with the highest percentage was salty snacks with 27.3%. In the sodium content, the indicator with the highest percentage was ̈ Medium ̈ with 50.3%. In fat content, the indicator "Medium" predominated with 49.5%. The 100% of the products contain the nutritional table, 99.3% has a list of ingredients, 0.7% does not and 100% has the nutritional traffic light. Conclusions: On average, the highest percentage of all products was the "Medium" indicator. It is recommended to continue with studies related to the nutritional label; due to there are not enough in Ecuador. Key words: Processed foods. Nutrition Labeling. Salt. Fat. Supermarkets. Cuenca.