Intertek's Assurance in Action Podcast Network
Intertek's Assurance in Action Podcast Network
Vegan Food Series: Ultra-Processed Foods & Health Claims
Vegan Food Series - Episode 2
Tune in to the second episode of our Vegan Food series on the Assurance in Action podcast, hosted by Patrick McNamara, Global Innovations and Quality Manager for Food Services. In this episode, we explore key topics shaping the future of vegan food:
- Exploring Ultra-Processed Foods: Patrick speaks with Marlana Malerich, co-founder of Rooted Research Collective, to uncover the impact of ultra-processed foods on our health and the environment.
- Unpacking Nutritional and Health Claims: Patrick and Valerie Renoncourt dive into the significance of nutritional and health claims, and what they mean for vegan consumers and producers alike.
- Global Insights: Discover the booming vegan market in Poland with firsthand insights from Lukasz Gerigk and Agnieszka Karendys from Intertek Poland.
For more details or to connect with our experts, reach out directly at:
đ§ Patrick McNamara: patrick.mcnamara@intertek.com
đ§ Valerie Renoncourt: valerie.renoncourt@intertek.com
đ§ Lukasz Gerigk: lukasz.gerigk@intertek.com
đ§ Agnieszka Karendys: agnieszka.karendys@intertek.com
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Hello everyone and welcome back to Assurance and Action. I'm Reman Priya , Global Social Media Manager for I ntertek Business Assurance, Caleb Brett and Food Services. Today we are thrilled to present the second episode of our vegan series, which also marks our first dedicated episode for International Podcast Day, coming up on September 30th, our host today, Patrick McNamara, global Innovations and Quality Manager for Food Services, has a packed episode ahead with special guests joining us. For each segment, Patrick will guide us through an in-depth discussion of Ultra-Processed Foods, nutritional and health claims, and in our " Round the World" segment, we'll hear from our colon team about the rising vegan market in their country. To start, Patrick will be speaking with Marlana Malerich about Ultra-Processed Foods. Let's dive in.
Patrick McNamara:Hello everyone. Today we're going to talk about Ultra-Processed Foods or UPFs. Now, UPFs have been the subject of many food stories in both the industry and mainstream media recently, and yet it still feels that consumers are confused by the term . So joining me to walk through the Ultra-Processed Foods maze today is Co-founder of the Rooted Research Collective, Marlana Malerich. Welcome, Marlana.
Marlana Malerich:Thank you so much for having me, Patrick.
Patrick McNamara:Absolute pleasure. Now, as I said, perceptions do differ as to what UPFs are. So is it possible to define ULTRAPRO in a meaningful way?
Marlana Malerich:So the short answer to that is maybe , um, but, but there is a lot that goes into kind of the background of ultra processed foods. And in order to really like, understand this language, we need to unpack the NOVA system, which is where we get the Ultra-Processed Food terminology from. Okay . So the , the NOVA system is a system that categorizes foods based on their level of processing. It was developed by a Brazilian EPI epidemiologist, Dr. Carlos Montero in 2009, and Dr. Carlos Montero , uh, basically created this range of categories from NOVA one, which is our unprocessed or minimally processed foods to the NOVA four, which is Ultra-Processed Foods and where we get this language from.
Patrick McNamara:Okay, good. So originally then there wasn't really a connection between the NOVA system and nutrient values.
Marlana Malerich:Yeah, I think that's definitely accurate. What's really interesting about the NOVA system is that it's not just , um, a system that identifies food based on its level of processing . Uh , Dr. Carlos Montero also developed the system and kind of used it as a way to identify the purpose of products as well. So, for example, Montero writes about ultra processed foods and kind of identifies them as products that are designed for a long shelf life. They're also considered , uh, very highly convenient. Uh, they can be profitable. They are frequently , um, identified as products that might undermine traditional diets and local food cultures. So it's a really interesting system that is again, sort of identifying food by level of processing, but it has also got all of these sort of historical and social political , uh, context , uh, connected to it.
Patrick McNamara:Okay . Fascinating. Um , I think one of the ways in which plant-based foods appeal to consumers is the idea that they're healthier. And then one of the reasons that people move towards plant-based foods is the idea that this is a healthier option. Can this still be true if the plant-based foods are UPF by category?
Marlana Malerich:Yes. So an easy, straightforward answer is yes, absolutely. Um, but like everything there is always some more nuance <laugh> . So my involvement in the Ultra-Processed Food debate really comes from my background in research in alternative proteins and particularly plant-based meats. Um, and I think plant-based meats and alt proteins really offer an interesting lens in which to look at the NOVA system and kind of break down some of the inconsistency that exists there in categorizing foods based on processing level instead of nutrition content. So, for example, there was a recent study that was done that found that many plant-based foods were classified as either NOVA three or NOVA four , which are processed or ultra processed foods. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . However , despite being classified as processed or ultra processed , they were often kind of showing up as quite nutritious. So kind of reinforcing this idea that processing doesn't always mean poor nutrition. Um, and I think it's really important to name that, you know, not all plant-based products are inherently healthy just because they're plant-based ingredients and nutrition values vary broadly from from one product to another. Um, but in the end it's the quality of the product or the quantity consumed, and it's not the category as a whole.
Patrick McNamara:Yeah, I understand that , and I , I I think that's quite key. Mm-Hmm <affirmative> is that there is a need for a holistic nutrient value breakdown and also take into account things like bioavailability and serving size as well.
Marlana Malerich:Absolutely. Um ,
Patrick McNamara:There is a consumer stigma that anything UPF is inherently bad or unhealthy, but that's not always the case based on what you've just told me.
Marlana Malerich:Yeah. So, you know, there's plenty of research that has linked diets high in processed foods with negative health impacts. Um, but again, sort of this challenge lies in the broadness of the Ultra-Processed Food category. Um, and you know, even there, there is no scientific consensus on what an Ultra-Processed Food is, despite there being kind of a myriad of , uh, research papers conducted on Ultra-Processed Foods and, and health impacts. And there was a study that was done a couple years ago that , um, that basically looked at the , um, you know, scientific experts and food experts and how they would categorize different foods, and there was really not a consensus even among experts how on how to categorize foods within the NOVA system. So, you know, there's this consumer stigma, but if we look at like the experts e even experts are kind of unable to , um, really , um, find consensus around this. Um, however, there was a very large review of Ultra-Processed Food health studies that came out earlier this year that looked at, you know, a lot of different studies that linked Ultra-Processed Food to health harmful health conditions, 32 harmful health conditions to be clear , um, including cancer and heart disease. But this review also found that some Ultra-Processed Food like ultra-processed cereals or whole grain breads, even like packaged snacks or yogurt, had the opposite effect. They were beneficial for health. And I think that really shows that within the ultra-processed food category, some foods are healthier than others and really speaks to the need that there really speaks to the need that perhaps there is a better framework that needs to be used to identify foods that are healthy or unhealthy. And processing is just, you know, it's, it's simply not a , um, it's not the best way to do that.
Patrick McNamara:No, no, it , it , it's clear that it's not a measurement of benefit to the consumer in terms of , of health. Um , and in terms of that, I mean, we have started to see a change in consumer and industry attitudes towards vegan and plant-based products due to that whole narrative around ups, do you see this impacting product development or has it already done so,
Marlana Malerich:Yeah, definitely. Um, I think a really , uh, recent example of that would be in some of the, some of the changes beyond Burger has made. Um, they've recently released the Beyond Sun sausages, which are emphasizing kind of this clean whole food label. They have a short ingredient list, and it's been really interesting to observe Beyond Meat be really nimble in responding to some of these concerns about, you know, ultra-processed plant-based foods. Um, they, earlier this year, they reformulated one of their burgers using avocado oil and got some heart health certifications from the American Heart Association. So, you know, I'm , I'm mentioning Beyond Burger 'cause it feels really re relevant right now because of the recent release of the Sun sausages. But I imagine there have been other , um, companies that have started thinking about their formulation or changing some of their formulation in response to, to consumer concerns.
Patrick McNamara:Yeah , I , I can guarantee that that's the case. I mean, we've seen a , a , a lot of it across the sector, but across the industry as the whole, I think. And , um, it , it goes back to what somebody once said to me, we , we talk about food tech, we talk about food science. And somebody once said to me that the problem with Nova and that whole system is that it doesn't take into account any food science or any food technology or any knowledge of additive use and purpose, you know, for that type of thing. So , um, that's really interesting. Um , in that case then , is there a way in which we can make me meaning , well meaningful comparison of nutritional value and health benefits of different foods if we can't do it through Nova? Is there an alternative?
Marlana Malerich:Oh, absolutely. I mean, there, there are other, there are definitely other , uh, nutritional frameworks that exist , and I think that's a much better place to start than levels than using sort of levels of processing to add to like make value judgements about food. Um, the other , uh, systems that already exist may not be perfect, but they function as a way to determine nutritional content based on kind of quantifiable levels of, you know, sodium for example, or sugar or carbohydrates. And they use scientific measures rather than this nebulous idea of processing. Um, and I know in the UK there's um, that traffic light system , uh, also nutri score is used broadly throughout Europe, I believe. Um, uh, Australia has their own system as well. And you know, there, there's always these challenges associated with this and, and people are going to have their feelings and attach value to them. But starting with a quantifiable and scientific , uh, measure of, of identifying nutrition content is a fantastic place to start rather than
Patrick McNamara:You'd think it would be given wouldn't . Yeah . You'd think , you'd think this was absolutely the least we deserve is to have scientific data presented logically and in full without bias. Please. That, that would be lovely. Um, I can tell you Marna that , um, we , we are still away from agreeing what system they need across Europe. It was supposed to be scheduled this year for a mandatory single front of pack system, but it's not even on the list for consideration. So I think we're, we're still away from a single European mandatory front of pack system. Um , I think we're pretty much out of time and, and it's gone so quickly, so , uh, I think we're gonna have to finish up there. Um , thank you so much for your opinions and insights. It's been an absolute pleasure to have you on the program. Um , for those of you listening, please check out more of Malana's work at the Rooted Research Collective website and hopefully tune in next time. Thanks a lot. Bye.
Marlana Malerich:Thank you so much.
Patrick McNamara:You're welcome.
Refaya Zaman Priya:What a great discussion on Ultra-Processed Foods. Up next, Patrick will be speaking with Valerie as they take a closer look at the world of nutritional and health claims.
Patrick McNamara:In the previous session, we talked about the way in which plant-based foods and health are linked in the minds of consumers. Indeed, research shows that this is one of the aspects of vegan and plant-based diets that they find most appealing. And of course, with this in mind, it's understandable that manufacturers may want to emphasize any health benefits associated with their products, but how can they do this without breaking the law or misleading the consumer? While joining me to shine a light on the legal position on health claims is Valerie Reor , operations manager from Interstate Business Assurance in France. Welcome, Valerie. Thank you very much for joining us today.
Valérie Renoncourt:Thank you, Patrick .
Patrick McNamara:It's a pleasure to have you here. Now, as we said, manufacturers of plant-based or vegan foods might naturally want to focus on the healthy aspects of their products, but what type of claims does the law allow them to make?
Valérie Renoncourt:Is it the regulation 1924 of 2006, which defines the rules about claims used on food product? This is the legal framework used by food business operators. When they want to highlight the particular beneficial effects on their products on the label or in commercial communication, two kind of claims can be used. The first is nutritional claim means any claim which states suggest or implies that a food has particular beneficial nutritional properties due to the energy. So nutrients or other substances, for example, low fat, a claim that a food is low in fat means the product contains no more than three gram of fat per 100 gram for solids, or 1.5 gram of fat per 100 milliliters for liquid. The other categories is health claim. Any claim that states suggests or implies that a relationship exists between a food category, a food, or one of its constituents and health, for example, vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
Patrick McNamara:Okay. So these are things I think that, that consumers will be familiar with. They go and buy things, they look at nutritional claims, low in fat, high in fiber. These are things that they, they get, and then there's the health claims thing that link a particular function of the food to a condition or or to a particular property, which is interesting. And I think that food businesses in general want to do the right thing, but it's not always easy for them to understand the requirements of the law. So how can manufacturers know which claims they can make within the law?
Valérie Renoncourt:A tool is existing, there is a u register of nutrition and ICE claim, which list all permitted nutrition claims and all authorized and non-authorized health claim as a source of reference, there is a free access through the European Commission website, example of nutrition claim listed on the register . High fiber, a claim that the food is high in fiber means a product which contains at least six gram for five of fiber per 100 gram, or at least three gram of fiber per 100 kilo calories. This condition should be respected to use this claim, otherwise the claim will be misleading. Example of health claim listed on the Euro register plant steroids contribute to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels. This claim is listed as authorized health claim on the register. And with the status we can find the condition of youth to be respected. In this example, we have to provide in addition a daily intake to the consumer.
Patrick McNamara:Yeah, and I , I , I think the important point here is, and , and it's one for people listening at home, is that the registry of claims gives you the text that you can use and the conditions that you can use them in. Um , so I think we'd probably recommend to manufacturers, don't change the wording, don't put your own take on it. Please don't think it will look better if you phrase it, you know, using your own brand name or whatever. It's pretty much stick to the text and the conditions of use, isn't it, I think.
Valérie Renoncourt:Yeah, exactly.
Patrick McNamara:Yeah, and I , I think we've all seen some examples of this done quite badly. I think , uh, there was a classic case in the UK where a guy, he actually got eight months , uh, suspended jail sentence for claiming that royal jelly could help the healing of tumors, believe it or not. There you go. But , uh, so I , I think that the message is look at the source of the claims, look at the text that you can use and look at the conditions of use. I think that's the message Valerie is in that.
Valérie Renoncourt:Yeah .
Patrick McNamara:Okay. Fantastic. Um , Valerie, thank you so much for being with us today. Um, it's been an absolute pleasure to have you on the show.
Valérie Renoncourt:Yeah, for me too. Thank you very much,
Patrick McNamara:<laugh> . You're welcome. For those of you listening at home, if you want more information about nutritional health claims, feel free to contact me or Valerie directly or go to intertech.com/food . And there you'll find all the contact information for our , our regulatory health claims team.
Refaya Zaman Priya:That was an insightful look into health claims. Now let's broaden our perspective with the Round The World segment where our Poland team shares their experience and thoughts on the booming vegan market in Poland
Patrick McNamara:On our tour of global vegan and plant-based markets. This month we're in Poland where I'm delighted to be joined by Agnieszka Karendys and Ćukasz Gerigk. Uh, hello to you both. Thank you for joining us today.
Ćukasz Gerigk:Hello . Hi , Patrick ,
Patrick McNamara:Lovely to have you both with us. Um, Ćukasz, if I could turn to you first, how would you describe the vegan market in Poland right now?
Ćukasz Gerigk:Actually already every f fit consumer in Poland chooses plant-based substitutes for , for animal products. Um, there's a new report that shows that the Polish plant-based food market is developing rapidly, and over 27% of polls actually have increased their consumption of plant-based products. Uh, when we ask further , uh, we have actually reached , uh, for alternatives to meat and their products and the past 12 months, so even 21% of Polish respondents answered , uh, that they did. In addition, 27% of them declared an increase in the consumption of meat substitutes in the last year, while an increase in the consumption of conventional meats and poultry was recorded in the case of only 11 of the survey participants. Okay . Um, yeah , that's
Patrick McNamara:Very interesting. Uh , and just looking at those statistics, what do you think are the reasons behind perhaps growing interest in vegan and plant-based foods in Poland?
Ćukasz Gerigk:I think they're pretty , uh, similar to the , uh, to those that other European countries have. So in con in context of meat, for example , uh, people often declare that , uh, plant-based substitutes are healthier , uh, than taste. Actually , uh, even 34% of respondents in Poland who compared to 30, 30% in Europe, say that , uh, they take , uh, plant-based substitutes as tasting better even. So the next reason might be that , uh, people try to try something new. Actually they desire new taste, new flavors, new uh, compositions. So , um, while in Europe , uh, the third most common reason might be environmental concern among Poland, this is still mentioned only by about 21%. So , um, yeah,
Patrick McNamara:Yeah, yeah . It , it , it's interesting. You often find that drivers of plant-based and vegan consumers is that environmental and health issues that they think about. So that , it's interesting to see that in the statistics. Lucas, thank you. Um, and Eska , if I could pose the next question to you. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> , um, given that there is an increase in vegan foods and the interest around them, are manufacturers and restaurants in Poland responding to consumers looking for those options?
Agnieszka Karendys :Yes. Uh , yes . Sure. Um , just few years ago , um, the, the, the trend on the market was that plantain products let set niche existence on supermarket shelves. Uh , the consumer groups most interested in , uh, this product at the time were vegans who bought this product more out of conviction than for taste. Uh, and the most popular examples of plant-based products , uh, are the well-known soil protein, tofu, and its wheat equivalent Satan. However, for , uh, for the majority of the population in Western cultures, such products were not an alternative to animal products due to the taste and texture due to the food technology development, there is currently an unimaginable amount and variety of plant-based alternatives , uh, available such as plant-based chicken plant-based bacon plant-based eggs, plant-based fish plant-based cheese, et cetera . And , uh, well-known food companies have also long si , uh, a long since joined , uh, uh, the action and the expanding the product portfolio because they are just simply answering the market demands. Yes. And , uh, uh, individual categories of animal product substitutes in , uh, on the Polish market, the highest annual growth rate in the recent period was , uh, recorded for cereal products, bakery products , uh, sauces and spices and milk substitutes. And , uh, also in , uh, as regards to restaurants, menus are increasingly introducing new dishes that do not contain meat or other animal ingredients because simply , uh, clients are searching for this products.
Patrick McNamara:Yeah . That , that , that's really interesting. So it looks like following on from Lucas's statistics that restaurants and supermarkets have, have adapted to that consumer demand , um, would you have a food recommendation for visitors to Poland and Ske ?
Agnieszka Karendys :Yes , sure. Uh , the , the list is really , uh, long plant-based restaurants are mushrooming on the streets of Warsaw, for example, because I am located in Warsaw , so the , this is my area, but for sure in other big cities, this is also , um, mm , uh, a lot of , uh, such places, restaurants , uh, compete in serving dishes from distant corners of the world and invite , uh, to the beautiful interiors. And , uh, there are some , um, uh, list on the websites and even , uh, the, the magazine , uh, Vogue has the , yes, that's interesting, the list of the most, yes , yes, the most , uh, popular or recommended restaurants. So I really, it is just easy to search , uh, writing the keywords and , uh, yeah , there , there , there are , uh, already more than 50 vegan restaurants in Warsaw, for example. So,
Patrick McNamara:So plenty of options in Warsaw of vegan consumers then. That's fantastic. Um, it's interesting to note that, that obviously , um, the , the culture has changed in Poland. I , I remember going to a , a Polish restaurant in the UK myself , uh, many years ago, and the vegetarian option was smoke tearing. And , and that's absolutely genuine <laugh>. So , uh, it , it's good to hear that the culture has changed and adapted and that the consumer interest is being supported by manufacturers and hospitality as well. Um, I think we're, we're pretty much out of time, but Lucas and Eska , thank you so much for being on the program today. It's been a pleasure. Thank you so much. Thank ,
Refaya Zaman Priya:Thank you to all our listeners for joining us for this special second episode of our vegan series and our first episode for International Podcast Day celebration. We hope you enjoyed this episode, and thank you Patrick and all our guests for joining us today. Throughout the week, we'll continue to feature more exciting episodes on trending topics and special guests from all around the world. Be sure to stay tuned and follow us on LinkedIn for all the latest updates. Link is in the description box below. This is Refaya Zaman Priya signing off, and we'll see you next time on Assurance and Action.