Do researchers use the list of ingredients to analyze the health and nutritional properties of packaged foods? A scoping review

Nutrition labeling assists consumers in making informed food choices and promotes essential principles for public health. However, the list of ingredients is not included in its scope. This study aimed to analyze whether the list of ingredients has been used as a source of nutrition and/or health information in food labeling studies. A scoping review was conducted according to the Joanna Briggs Institute protocol. A systematic search of the scientific literature was carried out by combining terms related to food labeling, nutrition/health, and ingredients. A total of 103 articles from 26 countries were analyzed. Sugar ingredients, ingredient composition, and food additives were the most prevalent focuses of analysis. The list of ingredients was treated as complementary to nutrition labeling, providing data on the sources of key nutrients. Additionally, the list of ingredients was used to analyze non-nutrient food components with a relevant health role, such as food additives, allergens, and gluten. These findings underscore that nutrient contents should not be the only information considered when evaluating the nutritional quality of packaged foods. The list of ingredients can play a central role in an analysis of the nutritional quality of packaged foods, serving as a tool for the promotion of public health and nutrition.

• Publication year

  2025

• Venue

  Academia Nutrition and Dietetics

• Publication date

  2025-04-09

• Fields of study

  Not labeled

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.20935/acadnutr7655
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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