Understanding fruit and vegetable consumption among Uruguayan adults.

Although fruits and vegetables are an essential component of a healthy diet from sustainable food systems, their consumption remains below recommended levels worldwide. In this context, the aim of the present work was to explore factors influencing fruit and vegetable consumption among Uruguayan adults. A telephone survey with 505 adults, living in Montevideo and involved in food purchasing for the household, was conducted by a specialized company in May 2024.

Comparison of front-of-package nutrition labelling schemes in Costa Rica: A multi-arm parallel-group randomised controlled trial assessing objective understanding and purchase intention.

Different front-of-package labelling (FOPL) schemes have been developed worldwide to encourage informed and healthier food purchase decisions. However, few studies have formally compared different schemes, particularly in the Latin American context. This study aimed to assess the effects of four different FOPL schemes on the objective understanding of the nutritional content and intention to purchase products.

A qualitative exploration of mothers' perspectives on infant formula use in Uruguay.

The transformation of the first-food systems and the widespread availability and marketing of breastmilk substitutes undermine efforts to promote adequate breastfeeding practices. The objective of the present research was to explore mothers' perspectives on infant formula use in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. A generic qualitative design was used to explore mothers' perspectives on the factors that act as enablers or barriers for infant formula use.

Factors Influencing Health Professionals' Decisions Regarding the Indication of Infant Formula: A Qualitative Exploration in Uruguay.

Background: Health systems are fundamental to the promotion and protection of breastfeeding. Health professionals have a pivotal influence on families' infant feeding decisions and may act as facilitators or barriers to adequate breastfeeding practices.

Research Aim: To explore factors influencing health professionals' decisions regarding the indication of infant formula in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, an emerging Latin American country.

Food additives associated with gut dysbiosis in processed and ultra-processed products commercialized in the Uruguayan market.

Recent empirical evidence suggests that gut dysbiosis is one of the negative health outcomes potentially associated with chronic consumption of some food additives. In this context, the present study aimed at analyzing the disclosure of food additives associated with gut dysbiosis in the labels of products commercialized in the Uruguayan market. A cross-sectional survey of packaged products commercialized in nine supermarkets was conducted between August and September 2021.

WEIRD and non-consensual food deserts and swamps: A scoping review of operational definitions.

The aim of the present study was to critically analyze operational definitions of food deserts and food swamps included in empirical studies published in peer-reviewed journals. A scoping review was conducted following the recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute and PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews. A search of the scientific literature was performed on August 2023 to identify empirical studies including operational definitions of food deserts and/or food swamps in three databases: Scopus, PubMed, and Scielo.

Coping strategies of food insecure households with children and adolescents in Uruguay, a high-income Latin American country: A qualitative study through the lens of Bourdieu's theories of capitals and practice.

Food insecurity has been associated with negative short, medium, and long-term health consequences, which are more detrimental for children and adolescents. These effects may depend on the coping strategies developed to deal with food shortages. The present research aimed at exploring coping strategies in food insecure households with children and adolescents in Uruguay, incorporating sociological theoretical insights from Bourdieu.

Is this advertisement designed to appeal to you? Adolescents' views about Instagram advertisements promoting ultra-processed products.

Objective: Examine the key elements that characterise social media advertisements targeted at adolescents by asking adolescents which features of Instagram ads promoting ultra-processed products make them designed to appeal to adolescents.

Design: Instagram ads promoting ultra-processed products and brands were selected from a database in which ads had been classified regarding whether they were primarily targeted at adolescents from an adult perspective. Adolescents completed a sorting task in small groups and were requested to reach a consensus through discussions and sticky notes regarding whether sixty ads were designed to appeal to them.

Parent Experiences With Warning Labels After Policy Implementation in Uruguay.

Objective: To explore the perception and experiences of parents of children and adolescents during the first year of the mandatory implementation of nutritional warning labels in Uruguay.

Design: Qualitative research based on semistructured interviews.

Setting: Montevideo, Uruguay.

Health-Washing of Ultraprocessed Products on Instagram: Prevalence and Strategies in an Emerging Market.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of health-related cues as part of the digital marketing of ultraprocessed foods on Instagram among food companies in Uruguay.

Methods: Cross-sectional exploratory study. All content posted by 118 Instagram accounts of companies promoting ultraprocessed foods in Uruguay over 6 months (from August 2020 to February 2021) was retrieved.

Bringing down barriers to children's healthy eating: a critical review of opportunities, within a complex food system.

This narrative review revises the scientific evidence of recent years on healthy eating in children and adolescents, making sense of promising avenues of action, from a food system perspective. A conceptual framework is provided to better understand how eating habits of children and adolescents are shaped to identify key multisectoral approaches that should be implemented to promote healthier diets. The following influencing factors are discussed: individual factors (physiological and psychological factors, food preferences and food literacy competencies), factors within the personal and socio-cultural food environments, external food environments, and the supply chain.

Use of nutritional warning labels at the point of purchase: An exploratory study using self-reported measures and eye-tracking.

Nutritional warning labels are gaining relevance in the region of the Americas as a policy tool to reduce information asymmetry and encourage healthier food choices. However, empirical evidence about consumer experiences with warning labels after implementation is still scarce. In this context, the aim of the present work was to explore the use of nutritional warning labels after policy implementation in Uruguay, using a combination of eye-tracking and self-reported data.

Development of food literacy in children and adolescents: implications for the design of strategies to promote healthier and more sustainable diets.

Food literacy has emerged as a key individual trait to promote the transformation of food systems toward healthy and sustainable diets. Childhood and adolescence are key periods for establishing the foundations of eating habits. Different food literacy competencies are acquired as children develop different cognitive abilities, skills, and experiences, contributing to the development of critical tools that allow them to navigate a complex food system.

Children's reaction to sugar reduced dairy desserts in the context of the implementation of nutritional warning labels: An exploratory study.

The aim of the present work was to explore children's reaction to sugar reduction in the context of the implementation of nutritional warnings in Uruguay. The study was composed of two sessions involving three evaluation conditions: tasting without package information, package evaluation without tasting, and tasting with package information. A total of 122 children, ages ranging between 6 and 13 years old (47% girls) were involved in the study.

Dimensions of food-related wellbeing and their relative importance among New Zealand consumers: A quasi-replication and extension approach.

Research into perceived wellbeing (WB) can improve understanding of consumer food choices and support development of strategies to promote healthier and more sustainable eating habits. In this research, using online studies, food-related WB was explored among New Zealand consumers. In a "quasi-replication" of Jaeger, Vidal, Chheang, and Ares (2022), Study 1 uncovered word associations to different WB-related terms ('Sense of wellbeing,' 'Lack of wellbeing,' 'Feeling good,' 'Feeling bad/unhappy,' 'Satisfied with life,' and 'Dissatisfied with life') with 912 participants in a between-subjects design.

The Idealization of Infant Formula: A Longitudinal Analysis of Labels in Uruguay.

Background: Labels are a key element of the marketing strategies of infant formula companies, and often include text or images that idealize their use, undermining efforts to promote breastfeeding.

Research Aims: To evaluate the prevalence of marketing cues that idealize infant formula on labels of products commercialized in Uruguay and to assess changes after a periodic monitoring of compliance with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes (IC).

Method: This study is a descriptive, observational, and longitudinal assessment of the information included on infant formula labels.

Effects of front-of-package nutrition labelling systems on understanding and purchase intention in Jamaica: results from a multiarm randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To assess the effects of three different front-of-package labelling (FOPL) schemes on objective understanding and intention to purchase of products, in Jamaica.

Setting: Supermarkets in Jamaica.

Participants: Adult supermarket shoppers in Jamaica (n=1206) aged 18 years old or older were included in the study, except for those visually impaired, or unable to give informed consent.

An exploration of what freshness in fruit means to consumers.

Perceived freshness is a key determinant of consumers' food choices but remains an imprecisely defined concept. A comprehensive and consumer-centric definition of freshness appears to be lacking, and the present research was situated in this knowledge gap, seeking, in particular, to explore the complexity of freshness in consumers' minds. People from the USA (n = 2092) took part in an online survey and completed a text highlighting task.

Qualitative exploration of the reasons for not using nutritional warnings after policy implementation in Uruguay.

Nutritional warnings have gained popularity, particularly in the region of the Americas, to facilitate the identification of products with excessive content of nutrients associated with non-communicable diseases and encourage healthier food choices. Although warnings have been shown to be effective, an in-depth understanding of the reasons why some consumers do not use them is still lacking. The aim of the present work was to explore self-reported use of nutritional warnings and to identify the reasons for not considering nutritional warnings for making food purchase decisions after policy implementation in Uruguay.

Food donation as a strategy to reduce food waste in an emerging Latin American country: a case study in Uruguay.

Abstract: Food donation has expanded globally and has become a common form of food assistance in emerging countries. However, research on food donation experiences in these settings is still scarce.

Purpose: In this context, the objectives of the present work were as follows: (i) to explore the views of Uruguayan stakeholders on food donation as a strategy to reduce food waste, (ii) to identify barriers and enablers for food donation in Uruguay, and (iii) to explore the organizational characteristics of Uruguayan food banks.

The content of Instagram posts featuring ultra-processed products through the lens of the heuristic-systematic model.

Digital marketing has seen a rapid rise in the last decade as a consequence of the increased popularity of social media. However, few studies so far have analyzed the prevalence and persuasive power of digital marketing of ultra-processed products. The present study aimed at: (i) analyzing the content of Instagram posts of ultra-processed products through the lens of the heuristic-systematic model, and (ii) evaluating the influence of the content of the posts on user interactions.

Health-related cues on the packages of processed and ultra-processed products: prevalence and policy implications.

The information included on food packages has a crucial role in influencing consumer product associations and purchase decisions. In particular, visual and textual cues on processed and ultra-processed products can convey health-related associations that influence consumer healthiness perception and purchase decisions. In this context, the present work aimed to explore the use of health-related cues on the packages of processed and ultra-processed products sold in Uruguay to provide insights for policy making.

Consumer conceptualisations of food-related wellbeing: An exploration of wellbeing-related terms in four industrialised countries.

Perceived (or subjective) wellbeing is regarded as key to understanding consumer food choices and the development of strategies to promote desirable eating habits. Yet, in-depth understanding of the specific factors that contribute to people's perceived wellbeing across cultures is lacking. These factors motivated the present research that used word associations to conduct an exploratory analysis of consumer conceptualisations of food-related wellbeing (WB).