Package Size and Manufacturer-Recommended Serving Size of Sweet Beverages: A Cross-Sectional Study across Four High-Income Countries

Download as .RIS

Citation

Poelman, Maartje P.; Eyles, Helen; Dunford, Elizabeth K.; Schermel, Alyssa; L'Abbe, Mary R.; Neal, Bruce C.; Seidell, Jacob C.; Steenhuis, Ingrid H. M.; & Ni Mhurchu, Cliona (2016). Package Size and Manufacturer-Recommended Serving Size of Sweet Beverages: A Cross-Sectional Study across Four High-Income Countries. Public Health Nutrition, 19(6), 1008-1016.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess the mean package size and manufacturer-recommended serving size of sweet beverages available in four high-income countries: Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional surveys.
SETTING: The two largest supermarket chains of each country in 2012/2013. SUBJECTS: Individual pack size (IPS) drinks (n 891) and bulk pack size (BPS) drinks (n 1904).
RESULTS: For all IPS drinks, the mean package size was larger than the mean serving size (mean (sd)=412 (157) ml and 359 (159) ml, respectively). The mean (sd) package size of IPS drinks was significantly different for all countries (range: Australia=370 (149) ml to New Zealand=484 (191) ml; P<0.01). The mean (sd) package size of Dutch BPS drinks (1313 (323) ml) was significantly smaller compared with the other countries (New Zealand=1481 (595) ml, Australia=1542 (595) ml, Canada=1550 (434) ml; P<0.01). The mean (sd) serving size of BPS drinks was significantly different across all countries (range: Netherlands=216 (30) ml to Canada=248 (31) ml; P<0.00). New Zealand had the largest package and serving sizes of the countries assessed. In all countries, a large number of different serving sizes were used to provide information on the amount appropriate to consume in one sitting.
CONCLUSIONS: At this point there is substantial inconsistency in package sizes and manufacturer-recommended serving sizes of sweet beverages within and between four high-income countries, especially for IPS drinks. As consumers do factor serving size into their judgements of healthiness of a product, serving size regulations, preferably set by governments and global health organisations, would provide consistency and assist individuals in making healthier food choices.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1368980015001974

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

2016

Journal Title

Public Health Nutrition

Author(s)

Poelman, Maartje P.
Eyles, Helen
Dunford, Elizabeth K.
Schermel, Alyssa
L'Abbe, Mary R.
Neal, Bruce C.
Seidell, Jacob C.
Steenhuis, Ingrid H. M.
Ni Mhurchu, Cliona

ORCiD

Dunford - 0000-0003-4505-3256