Investigating the nutritional value of foods targeting children

Purpose This study aimed to investigate the nutritional values of some low-nutrition packaged foods widely sold in supermarkets and encouraged for consumption. Methods The study used 435 packaged foods from six hypermarkets with high sale capacities in Ankara to analyze their contents of energy/total fat/saturated fat/carbohydrate/sugar/salt based on label information. Results Among the products in the scope of the study, the highest values were found in chocolates for fat (33.0 ± 4.28/100 g) and sugar (45.6 ± 5.95/100 g), wafers for saturated fat (19.2 ± 3.89/100 g), and crackers for sodium (0.9 ± 0.23/100 g). Among the 435 packaged foods investigated in the study, the products exceeded the limits designated in the health codes declared by the Turkish Food Codex Labeling Directive in 83.4% of the instances in terms of sugar, 93.7% of the instances in terms of total fat, 92.4% of the instances in terms of saturated fat, and 70.3% of the instances in terms of sodium. Conclusion Energy/fat/sugar/salt contents were high in the packaged products that are especially targeted for children for higher consumption. Children’s frequent and excessive consumption of these products contribute to the prevalence of childhood obesity and increase in related health risks. Level of Evidence Level V, descriptive study.