Evaluating the Prevalence, Nutritional Quality, and Marketing Characteristics of Nutritionally-enhanced Foods in Canada

Nutritionally-enhanced foods are a fast-growing sector of the global food industry. Concerns have been raised that the consumption of these products may have negative repercussions on population health, such as high nutrient intakes inappropriate for certain population subgroups (e.g. children) and the shifting of dietary patterns to include more unhealthy foods. This thesis aimed to evaluate the prevalence, nutritional quality, and marketing characteristics of foods with added nutrients in the Canadian market. Many nutritionally-enhanced foods contained high levels of nutrients beyond recommended intakes, despite these nutrients having no evidence of inadequacy in the Canadian population. Additionally, a large proportion of foods with added nutrients had poor nutrient profiles and carried heavy marketing on their labels, regardless of their nutritional quality. These findings support concerns surrounding the consumption of foods with added nutrients and suggest the need to further evaluate these concerns by investigating consumer attitudes and decision-making towards these foods.