Food additives in Latin America: a descriptive analysis of the packaged food supply in five countries.
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| Název: | Food additives in Latin America: a descriptive analysis of the packaged food supply in five countries. |
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| Autoři: | Zancheta C; Colansa - Latin American and Caribbean Nutrition and Health Community of Practice, Sao Paulo, Brazil.; Center for Research in Food Environments and Prevention of Chronic Diseases Associated With Nutrition (CIAPEC), Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile, Santiago, Chile., Grilo MF; Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA., Ayala S; Centro de Epidemiología y Políticas de Salud, Facultad de Medicina Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile., Duran AC; Center for Food Studies and Research (NEPA), University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil., Canella D; Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de, Brazil., Mora M; The National University of Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia., Abril-Ulloa V; University of Cuenca, Av. 12 Abril. Campus Paraíso, Cuenca, Ecuador., Tolentino-Mayo L; Colansa - Latin American and Caribbean Nutrition and Health Community of Practice, Sao Paulo, Brazil.; Center for Health and Nutrition Research, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico., Reyes M; Colansa - Latin American and Caribbean Nutrition and Health Community of Practice, Sao Paulo, Brazil.; Center for Research in Food Environments and Prevention of Chronic Diseases Associated With Nutrition (CIAPEC), Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile, Santiago, Chile., Corvalan C; Colansa - Latin American and Caribbean Nutrition and Health Community of Practice, Sao Paulo, Brazil. ccorvalan@inta.uchile.cl.; Center for Research in Food Environments and Prevention of Chronic Diseases Associated With Nutrition (CIAPEC), Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile, Santiago, Chile. ccorvalan@inta.uchile.cl. |
| Zdroj: | Globalization and health [Global Health] 2025 Nov 03; Vol. 21 (1), pp. 62. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Nov 03. |
| Způsob vydávání: | Journal Article |
| Jazyk: | English |
| Informace o časopise: | Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101245734 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1744-8603 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 17448603 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Global Health Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: [London] : BioMed Central, 2005- |
| Výrazy ze slovníku MeSH: | Food Additives*/analysis , Food Supply*/statistics & numerical data , Food Packaging*, Latin America ; Humans |
| Abstrakt: | Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Background: Latin America is distinguished by diverse regulatory frameworks and evolving dietary patterns, including the weakening of traditional diets and the increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Predominantly produced by transnational corporations, UPFs rely heavily on food additives to achieve desirable sensory properties (e.g., flavor, color), ensure food safety, and extend shelf life. Over the past decade, research has increasingly shown that higher consumption of UPFs is associated with poor health outcomes, and food additives have emerged as a potential mechanism underlying this association. However, few studies have systematically analyzed the presence of food additives in the food supply. This study aimed to assess the distribution and patterns of food additives in packaged foods from five Latin American countries. Methods: Data were obtained from packaged foods and beverages sold in supermarkets in Brazil (2017; n = 9,673), Mexico (2017; n = 15,846), Chile (2018; n = 13,913), Colombia (2018; n = 8,282), and Ecuador (2019; n = 2,083). We used the list of ingredients to search for food additives described in the Codex Alimentarius. We assessed the prevalence of specific food additives, categorized their functional classes, and applied exploratory factor analysis to identify patterns of food additive use, overall and in each country. Results: Food additives were present in over 75% of the studied products, ranging from 76.1% in Colombia to 84.0% in Ecuador. Food categories with the highest prevalence of additives (> 90%) included confectionery, dairy products, bakery items, and meat products. Most products contained two or more additives (64.3%); nearly 10% contained ten or more. We observed consistent results on the most used additives (i.e., flavorings, citric acid, phosphates, and lecithin) and patterns of food additives used across countries, although differences were observed in the use of specific additives, particularly low-calorie sweeteners and colorings. Conclusion: Food additives are widely used in the packaged food supply of Latin American countries, and variations in the use of specific food additives likely reflect differences in regulatory frameworks, industry practices, and consumer preferences across countries. Given the increasing concern about the potential health effects of food additives, there is an urgent need to strengthen monitoring efforts and further investigate population-level exposures and associated health outcomes. (© 2025. The Author(s).) |
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| Grant Information: | 3250781 Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo; Colansa Bloomberg Philanthropies; Colansa Bloomberg Philanthropies |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Food additives; Food composition; Food labeling; Latin America; Nutrition policy |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 0 (Food Additives) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20251104 Date Completed: 20251104 Latest Revision: 20251107 |
| Update Code: | 20251107 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC12581231 |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s12992-025-01130-7 |
| PMID: | 41185041 |
| Databáze: | MEDLINE |
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Nájsť tento článok vo Web of Science | Abstrakt: | Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.<br />Background: Latin America is distinguished by diverse regulatory frameworks and evolving dietary patterns, including the weakening of traditional diets and the increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Predominantly produced by transnational corporations, UPFs rely heavily on food additives to achieve desirable sensory properties (e.g., flavor, color), ensure food safety, and extend shelf life. Over the past decade, research has increasingly shown that higher consumption of UPFs is associated with poor health outcomes, and food additives have emerged as a potential mechanism underlying this association. However, few studies have systematically analyzed the presence of food additives in the food supply. This study aimed to assess the distribution and patterns of food additives in packaged foods from five Latin American countries.<br />Methods: Data were obtained from packaged foods and beverages sold in supermarkets in Brazil (2017; n = 9,673), Mexico (2017; n = 15,846), Chile (2018; n = 13,913), Colombia (2018; n = 8,282), and Ecuador (2019; n = 2,083). We used the list of ingredients to search for food additives described in the Codex Alimentarius. We assessed the prevalence of specific food additives, categorized their functional classes, and applied exploratory factor analysis to identify patterns of food additive use, overall and in each country.<br />Results: Food additives were present in over 75% of the studied products, ranging from 76.1% in Colombia to 84.0% in Ecuador. Food categories with the highest prevalence of additives (> 90%) included confectionery, dairy products, bakery items, and meat products. Most products contained two or more additives (64.3%); nearly 10% contained ten or more. We observed consistent results on the most used additives (i.e., flavorings, citric acid, phosphates, and lecithin) and patterns of food additives used across countries, although differences were observed in the use of specific additives, particularly low-calorie sweeteners and colorings.<br />Conclusion: Food additives are widely used in the packaged food supply of Latin American countries, and variations in the use of specific food additives likely reflect differences in regulatory frameworks, industry practices, and consumer preferences across countries. Given the increasing concern about the potential health effects of food additives, there is an urgent need to strengthen monitoring efforts and further investigate population-level exposures and associated health outcomes.<br /> (© 2025. The Author(s).) |
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| ISSN: | 1744-8603 |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s12992-025-01130-7 |