Nutri-Level and Healthy Food Literacy
There is an anecdote about Americans being asked what they pay most attention to when buying packaged food products. Their answer is ‘calorie content’. However, when a similar question is posed to Indonesians, ‘price’ turns out to be the main concern.
Why do people in developed countries pay so much attention to calorie content? This is because the prevalence of obesity there has become a serious health problem. In Indonesia, cases of excess weight are also increasing, but we have not paid much attention to its negative impact on health.
The composition and nutritional claims on food labels must receive consumer attention. The existence of the Consumer Protection Law implies that consumers have the right to obtain complete and correct information about the products they buy. The inclusion of nutritional composition is a form of producer responsibility so that consumers are not mistaken in making choices. In addition, this information can also serve as an effective advertising tool to attract buyers. However, understanding nutritional composition is not easy for consumers.
Indonesia has now introduced Nutri-Level, a labelling system for food and beverages that helps consumers assess the health level of a product. This label is divided into four categories: Level A (dark green), Level B (light green), Level C (yellow), and Level D (red). Simply put, Level A indicates the healthiest product because it contains low amounts of sugar, salt, and fat (GGL). Conversely, Level D indicates products with high GGL content that may even exceed the safe limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated that the implementation of this label aims to reduce the number of non-communicable diseases (PTM), such as obesity and diabetes. The labelling approach is considered more effective in encouraging changes in consumer behaviour compared with an excise policy on packaged sweetened beverages (MBDK). For comparison, Singapore has already implemented a similar system called Nutri-Grade. Since its introduction, the policy has reportedly been able to encourage consumers in Singapore to be more selective and tend to choose healthier drinks.
Fat has a savoury taste that makes food products more delicious. For example, in making ice cream, the presence of milk fat not only makes the texture softer but also makes the ice cream taste better. In bakery products, fat makes food taste fresher and softer. The tenderness of meat flavour is also partly influenced by fat content. Meanwhile, in the frying process, fat or oil contributes to providing a crispy texture.
Trans fatty acids (TFA) are contained in margarine, especially non-palm margarine whose manufacturing process uses partial hydrogenation. TFA in food has a negative impact on health as a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) that cannot be ignored. In fact, according to various research results, the impact of TFA is worse than the negative effects of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol.
Besides trans fats, another risk factor for heart disease is cholesterol intake. Total cholesterol levels in the blood are considered high if they exceed 200 mg/dL. Blood vessels blocked by cholesterol can cause heart attacks and strokes. In addition to total cholesterol levels, a high LDL/HDL ratio is a risk factor for CHD. LDL is often referred to as bad cholesterol and HDL as good cholesterol. An LDL/HDL ratio exceeding 4 can increase the risk of heart attack.
Regarding salt consumption, one could imitate the Eskimos or the Incas. They hardly consume salt but can still survive. Their food tends to be bland, yet their organs continue to function well.
Actually, we may not consume table salt as long as sodium intake in the daily menu is still met. Many daily food ingredients contain natural sodium to meet the body’s needs, such as carrots, green leafy vegetables, eggs, and milk. However, because the natural sodium in these food ingredients is not bound to chlorine, these foods do not give a salty taste on the tongue.
Sodium requirements are based on growth needs and the replacement of sodium lost through sweat and other body secretions. Residents in hot climates need more sodium than residents in cold regions. The safe limit for salt consumption is 5 grams per day, or about 1 teaspoon. Excessive salt consumption can cause hypertension, especially in individuals sensitive to sodium. Hypertension has the potential to trigger serious complications such as heart disease, stroke, and various other health problems.
The same applies to sugar consumption. Currently, the recommended limit for sugar consumption is 50 grams per person per day. Various sweet food products and snacks are now very easy to find. Therefore, the presence of Nutri-Level will greatly help the public in choosing low-sugar food products.
Education is the main key in directing people’s eating patterns so that low GGL consumption becomes a habit. Educational institutions from primary to tertiary levels can serve as venues for nutrition education regarding Nutri-Level. In addition, public service advertisements in print, electronic, and social media need to continue campaigning for healthy food consumption. With the implementation of the Nutri-Level logo on food packaging, the public is expected to be able to more easily determine healthy food choices.