Level of understanding of the NutriScore Nutrient Profiling System for food choices and its association with educational level

Abstract

INTRODUCTION The NutriScore Nutrient Profiling System (NPS) through its front labeling allows
consumers to make a quick judgment of the nutritional quality of food, favoring the healthiest food choices.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the level of understanding of the NPS NutriScore for food choices and its
association with educational level, of the beneficiaries referent of the "Fundación Banco de Alimentos de
Córdoba" (FBAC), in the City of Córdoba during 2020.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Observational, analytic and cross-sectional study. 45 beneficiaries
referent of the FBAC participated. A validated, structured and interviewer-administered survey was used.
The instrument was adapted based on the food patterns of the Argentine population, selecting 3 categories
of commonly consumed foods, considering the availability of products in the market and of different
nutritional qualities. The data analysis was carried out with Stata v14. For categorical variables relative and
absolute frequencies were used; while for continuous variables measures of central position and dispersion
were used. Finally, the Fisher test was applied to evaluate the association between the variables (p <0.05).
RESULTS: 78% of those surveyed were women, with an average of 47 years. It was noted that 71% of the
respondents presented a médium-high level of understanding of the NPS. Level educational was not
associated with NutriScore level of understanding.
CONCLUSION: The NPS NutriScore is understood by an important part of consumers, so it could be
implemented as a nutritional tool, in order to prevent diseases and promote health.