Evaluación del etiquetado de bebidas no alcohólicas expendidas en los supermercados de la ciudad de Cuenca

Abstract

Nowadays, eating habits due to an excessive consumption of refined sugars, fats, sodium, as well as persuasive marketing strategies in packaging have caused, especially in children and adolescents, a high consumption of processed foods and sugary drinks; which have encouraged the authorities to create new regulations of food labelling for human consumption which has been implemented in Ecuador since 2014. The objective of this study is: i) to evaluate the compliance of theses labeling regulations in the food group of non-alcoholic beverages, ii) to identify the use of nutritional and health claims, and iii) to identify the different persuasive marketing strategies used. Convenience sampling was conducted in a local supermarket where 358 non-alcoholic beverages were collected. It was determined that 22% of the products do not comply with the NTE-INEN-1334-1, 5% do not comply with the NTE-1334-2, and 21% do not comply with the RTE-INEN-022. The most common claim was the “Other Claim” claims (394) followed by the “Nutrient Content” claims (267). 42 “Promotional Characters” were accounted in 25 products, and 23 “Premium Offers” in 23 products. Finally, gaps were determined in the requirements of the Traffic light labeling system that must be revised and socialized by the authorities to be applied in a better way to avoid confusion in both consumers and food manufactures