International Symposium on Understanding the Double Burden of Malnutrition for Effective Interventions

Nutrient density of food consumed in Morocco

Not scheduled

15m

Boardroom A (IAEA, Vienna)

Poster Epidemiology Poster Session 4

Speaker

Prof. Youness TABOZ (Joint Research Unit in Nutrition and Food, URAC 39 (Ibn Tofaïl University-CNESTEN) Regional Designated Center of Nutrition (AFRA/IAEA), Morocco)

Description

Introduction: The food and nutritional transition in Morocco involves the purchase of foods rich in fats and added sugars but low in nutrients (proteins, iron, vitamins, etc ...). Nutrient density is an index that allows to know the ratio calorie / interest / nutritional price of a food. Economic constraints are guiding food choices towards cheaper and more energy-dense products. Energy dense and inexpensive diets can lead to overconsumption and weight gain. The objective of our study is to classify food consumed in Morocco according to their nutritional composition by attributing to every food a unique score which indicates to the consumer his total nutritional value. Methods: The study concerned 70 food consumed in Morocco. The profile system used is the score NRF which is based on nutriments to be encouraged and to be limited according to the model of the score NRF (Drewnowski and Fulgoni, 2014). Results: The score NRF 6.3 shows a negative nutrient density of families of fats, sweets and drinks. Fruits have a better nutrient density, followed by starchy foods, by milk and dairy products. For the NRF 9.3, the nutrient density of milk and dairy products, of starchy foods and of fruits improves, because of their content in nutriments which are added, namely vitamin E, potassium and magnesium. In passing in score of NRF 11.3, the nutrient density of milk and dairy products exceeds slightly that of starchy foods and approaches fruits, because of their wealth in nutriments and in micronutriments in particular calcium, magnesium, potassium and zinc. For the score of NRF 15.3, the nutritional quality of milk and dairy products improves, which can be explained by the presence of the other micronutriments considered in this score, namely: B1, B2, B9, B12, Vit D, Vit E and monounsaturated fats. As for report calorie/interest/price, the analysis allows to propose clues to identify food associating a good nutritional quality and an affordable cost, what means that at equivalent cost, it is possible to improve the nutritional quality of food by favoring the variety and by favoring specifically certain food, as fruits, starchy foods and dairy products which contain a big concentration of nutriments (minerals, vitamins, proteins and water) and which bring fewer calories. Conclusion: The study allowed to have an idea on nutritional quality of various food consumed in Morocco to help consumers to make beneficial food choice for their health and compatible with their budget by having a healthy lifestyle and especially to accompany the different strategies launched by the Ministry of Health to fight against non-communicable diseases. The recommendations have to take into account all the factors which govern our choices and food purchases: taste, nutritional quality, food culture, health but also… the price.