Introduction: The implementation of front-of-pack (FOP) energy icon labelling helps
consumers in making good food choices. This is the first study in Malaysia focusing
on such labelling since it was launched in 2012. It was aimed at determining the
awareness and understanding of the FOP energy icon on food labels in Malaysia.
Methods: A total of 366 consumers aged 18-60 years old in the state of Negeri
Sembilan participated in the study. A guided, self-administered survey was
conducted using a convenient sampling method. Results: The results showed
that 85% of consumers surveyed were aware of FOP energy icon. Among those
who were aware of the icon, 50% (n=155) were categorised as ‘excellent’ and 41%
(n=128) categorised as ‘good’, for understanding the FOP. Conclusion: This study
indicated that the icon could be viewed as a potential tool to be used in conjunction
with the nutrition information panel (NIP). Most of the respondents could extract
nutrition information from the FOP (energy) icon. The study showed that those who
had understood the icon were in the group categories of high education, youth
and female. There was also no significant association between those who received
nutrition labelling education and level of understanding nutrition information from
the icon. Therefore, it is important to further explore the possibility the beneficial
impact of FOP labelling system, including consumer education aspects.
There are several methods available for assessment of sodium intake, including dietary and urinary excretion, which are fraught with methodological difficulties. Therefore, the aim of this study was to validate dietary and urinary excretion methods against 24-hour urinary excretion method in estimating sodium intake in Malaysian adults. A cross-sectional study has been carried out between November to December 2015. About 1568 adults aged 18 to 59 years old have participated from 16 study sites located in the 13 states and two federal territories of Malaysia. The study collected basic socio-demographic data and habitual dietary intake by Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Respondents were also asked to complete a two-day food intake diary (2FD) and collect their 24-hours urine and spot urine using standard protocols. A total of 1116 adults successfully completed the survey, yielding a response rate of 71%. Sodium intake from 24-hour urine excretion was estimated at 2585.9mg/day which is above the recommendation by World Health Organization (WHO). The 2FD showed the nearest mean estimate to the reference method but the spot urine with Tanaka’s predictive equation showed the least bias. The estimation of sodium from spot urine alone or with Kawasaki’s predictive equation and FFQ method showed poor mean estimates and a large bias compared to the reference method. The 2FD and spot urine with Tanaka’s prediction equation can be good alternatives for estimating daily sodium intake at the population level but not at the individual level.