Nutritional impact of no-added sugar fruit puree consumption at different eating occasions: a modelling study on French children.

OBJECTIVE: The recommended level of five fruits and vegetables per day is reached by a minority of French children. No-added sugars fruit puree (NASFP) can be consumed as a complement of fresh fruit to meet the recommendation for fruits and vegetables. The objective was to simulate the nutritional impact of an increase in consumption of NASFP among French children, together with a reduction in sweetened foods.

DESIGN: The study was conducted on French children aged 1-17 years. The simulation consisted in introducing NASFP on four different eating occasions (breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner) to reach one serving and removing the same serving of sweetened foods. Intakes in nutrients to favour, nutrients to limit and prevalence of adequacy to nutritional requirements were compared between observed and simulated diets in the whole sample and in five different age groups.

SETTING: France.

PARTICIPANTS: Children from 1 to 17 years of age in the last available French representative dietary survey (INCA3).

RESULTS: Simulated diets were more nutrient-dense thanks to increases in nutrients to favour from NASFP (especially fibres, iodine, Se, and vitamin A and C) associated with reductions in energy and nutrients to limit (especially free sugars) coming from sweetened foods. Prevalence of adequacy increased from 2 to 14·5 points for fibres and from 4·5 to 12 points for free sugars according to age group and eating occasion.

CONCLUSION: Promoting NASFP in replacement of sweetened products is a promising strategy to improve the nutritional quality of French children's diet through a better adherence to national guidelines.