A new study found that one in four consumers is no longer buying prepackaged baked goods such as cookies, cakes, donuts, pies and pastries.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina began the study to monitor the improvement of the dietary quality in the United States. They looked at the changes in the nutritional content of the products and the consumer purchase trend between 2005 and 2012.
Their analysis showed that there is no significant difference in the nutrition and calories provided by prepackaged consumer baked goods during the study period. But the researchers were surprised that the consumer purchase fell significantly by 24 percent.
"The results of this study indicated that larger wide-scale efforts are needed among public health officials and all manufacturers of RTE GBDs to shift consumer purchases towards products with lower energy, sugar, and saturated fat content," said study lead author, Dr. Kevin C. Mathias, a recent graduate of the Nutrition Department at the University of North Carolina, in a press release.
The researchers suggest reformulating the nutritional content of the products to reduce the caloric consumption of the consumers. Baked goods and other desserts are known to be high in sugar that translates to high calories; there are other alternatives to achieve the same sweetness using ingredients with less sugar.
Another recommendation was a label change to highlight the nutritional content of the products. The researchers believe that consumers will be more careful about their food purchases if they are well-informed of the contents.
"The results from the product and purchase level analyses highlight an opportunity for both food manufacturers and public health officials to work together to develop strategies to shift consumer purchases towards products with lower energy, sugar, and saturated fat densities in addition to decreasing overall purchases of RTE GBDs," concluded Dr. Mathias.
This study was published in the Dec. 21 issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
