Publicação
Cereal bars in Portugal: Alignment with nutrient profile models and school snacks guidelines
| dc.contributor.author | Barriga, Marta | |
| dc.contributor.author | Silva, Mafalda Alexandra | |
| dc.contributor.author | Ramalho, Renata | |
| dc.contributor.author | Costa, Helena Soares | |
| dc.contributor.author | Albuquerque, Tânia Gonçalves | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-02-12T11:50:36Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-02-12T11:50:36Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-10-28 | |
| dc.description.abstract | The growing prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in Portugal, rising from 29.7% to 31.9% for overweight and from 11.9% to 13.5% for obesity between 2019 and 2022, has raised concerns about the nutritional quality of foods frequently consumed by children. Snacking habits, particularly those involving packaged and processed products such as cereal bars, play a significant role in children's overall dietary patterns. Although often marketed as healthy options, many cereal bars may not comply with public health recommendations. This study assessed the nutritional composition of cereal bars available on the Portuguese market, evaluating their alignment with the Portuguese Nutrient Profile Model and the National Guidelines for Healthy School Snacks. A total of 135 cereal bar products were analysed based on their labelled nutritional information, focusing on energy, total fat, saturated fat, sugars, fibre, and salt. The results showed that all bars exceeded the recommended energy threshold (40 kcal per serving). Only 23% met the total fat limit (≤8 g/100 g), and 36.3% complied with the saturated fat limit (≤3 g/100 g). The average sugar content was 23.5 g/100 g, well above recommended levels. Regarding salt, 28% of the bars met the recommended limit (0.3 g/100 g). These findings highlight a significant gap between product formulations and national nutrition policies targeting school-aged populations. This study underscores the need for product reformulation, clearer front-of-pack labelling, and improved nutritional education to promote healthier snack choices for children and support obesity-prevention strategies. | eng |
| dc.description.sponsorship | This work was funded by National institute of Health Dr Ricardo Jorge, under the project NutriData – Monitoring and assessment of the nutritional quality of ultra-processed foods (Ref. 2024DAN2268). | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/10913 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.peerreviewed | yes | |
| dc.relation.hasversion | https://sciforum.net/event/foods2025?section=#abstractbook | |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | |
| dc.subject | Nutrient Profile Models | |
| dc.subject | Snacks | |
| dc.subject | Cereal Bars | |
| dc.subject | Estilos de Vida e Impacto na Saúde | |
| dc.subject | Composição dos Alimentos | |
| dc.subject | Portugal | |
| dc.title | Cereal bars in Portugal: Alignment with nutrient profile models and school snacks guidelines | eng |
| dc.type | conference object | |
| dspace.entity.type | Publication | |
| oaire.citation.conferenceDate | 2025-10-28 | |
| oaire.citation.conferencePlace | online | |
| oaire.citation.title | The 6th International Electronic Conference on Foods, 28-30 october 2025 | |
| oaire.version | http://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85 |