A Mexican Committee of Nutrition Experts (MCNE) from the National Institute of Public Health (INSP), free from conflict of interest, established food content standards to place the front-of-package (FOP) logo on foods that meet these nutrition criteria. The objectives were to simulate the effect on nutrient intake in the Mexican adult population (20-59 years old) after replacing commonly consumed processed foods with those that meet the FOP nutrition-labeling criteria. Twenty-four hour dietary recalls were collected from the 2012 Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey (n = 2164 adults). A food database from the INSP was used. Weighted medians and 25-75 inter-quartile ranges (IQR) of energy and nutrient intake were calculated for all subjects by sociodemographic characteristics before and after replacing foods. Significant decreases were observed in energy (-5.4%), saturated fatty acids (-18.9%), trans-fatty acids (-20%), total sugar (-36.8%) and sodium (-10.7%) intake and a significant increase in fiber intake (+15.5%) after replacing foods, using the MCNE nutrition criteria. Replacing commonly consumed processed foods in the diet with foods that meet the FOP nutrition-labeling criteria set by the MCNE can lead to improvements in energy and nutrient intake in the Mexican adult population.
Keywords: Mexico; diet; front-of-package labeling; nutrition; obesity; processed foods.