Table_1_Comparison of the Nutritional Quality of Branded and Private-Label Food Products Sold in Italy: Focus on the Cereal-Based Products Collected From the Food Labeling of Italian Products Study.docx

The packaged foods sold in food stores may be “private-label” products (PL), when branded by the supermarket, and “branded” products (BR). PL products are generally cheaper than the BR counterparts, and this can be perceived as a sign of general low quality by consumers, when items are compared with their branded counterparts. Thus, the aim of the present study was to compare the nutrient content of BR and PL cereal-based foods, by evaluating the nutritional declaration reported on the food pack of products on the home-shopping website of major retailers present on the Italian market. A total of 3,775 items (~58% BR and ~42% PL), collected in the period from July 2018 to March 2019 and updated in March 2020, were included in the final analysis. Data were analyzed by means of the Mann–Whitney nonparametric test for two independent samples for differences between BR and PL categories and types. Overall, BR products showed higher contents of total and saturates than PL items. When products were grouped for categories and types, items only differed for the content of total fats, saturates, total carbohydrates, proteins, and salt. No differences were instead found for energy and sugar contents among any of the categories. However, we did not find any consistency in the direction of results. These results could be useful for future education activities aimed to help consumers in making informed food choices.

食品门店售卖的预包装食品可分为超市自有品牌（private-label, PL）产品与品牌（branded, BR）产品两类。相较于品牌产品，自有品牌产品通常售价更低，而消费者往往会将这一价格优势视作产品整体品质偏低的信号。鉴于此，本研究旨在通过评估意大利市场主流零售商线上购物平台在售产品包装上标注的营养成分声明，对比品牌与自有品牌谷物类食品的营养含量。本研究最终纳入2018年7月至2019年3月期间采集、并于2020年3月更新的共计3775件样本，其中品牌产品占比约58%，自有品牌产品占比约42%。研究采用曼-惠特尼两独立样本非参数检验，对品牌与自有品牌类别的产品及其子类间的差异进行数据分析。整体而言，品牌产品的总脂肪与饱和脂肪含量均高于自有品牌产品。当按产品类别与子类进行分组分析时，仅总脂肪、饱和脂肪、总碳水化合物、蛋白质及盐含量存在组间差异；而各类别产品的能量与糖含量均未呈现显著差异。但本研究未发现研究结果在趋势上存在一致性。本研究结果可为未来旨在帮助消费者做出理性食品选择的科普教育活动提供参考依据。