Sodio en panes y snacks de mayor consumo en Costa Rica. Contenido basal y verificación del etiquetado nutricional

• Published in: Archivos latinoamericanos de nutrición Vol. 65; no. 1; pp. 36 - 43
• Main Authors: María de los Ángeles Montero ?Campos, Blanco-Metzler, Adriana, Victoria Chan Chan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Caracas José Féliz Chávez Pérez 2015; Sociedad Latinoamericana de Nutrición
• Subjects: Bread; Labeling; NUTRITION & DIETETICS; Nutrition research; Snack foods; Sodium; Costa Rica; etiquetado nutricional; hipertensión arterial; sodium; salt; nutritional labeling; sodio; snacks; Pan; hypertension; Bread; sal
• ISSN: 0004-0622; 2309-5806

Bread is highly consumed by population, making it one of the main sources of sodium in the diet, despite being moderate in salt. Mean while, snacks have high sodium content, but are less consumed by the general population. The aim of this study was to determine by direct analysis the baseline of sodium in breads and snacks most consumed in Costa Rica and verify compliance with the Central American Technical Regulation on Nutritional Labeling. Foods samples were classified by type, trade mark, method and place of production. Samples were collected in supermarkets and bakeries in the Great Metropolitan Area between 2011and 2012. Primary sample comprised 99 breads and 84 snacks, and analytical sample 33 and 28, respectively. The sodium content was determined by flame emission spectrophotometer. Breads showed between 496 and 744mg/100g sodium, 45% included nutritional labeling and 80% reported greater amount than found by direct analysis. Industrialized breads except the whole grain varieties, complied with regulations. In snacks, sodium content ranged from 276 to 1221mg/100g, all had nutritional labeling and 43% reported less content, in breach of the regulations. The study provides baseline data to initiate sodium reduction and direct analysis confirms that it is essential to know with certainty the sodium content in foods.