IGD has worked with leading food and grocery companies to publish a comprehensive review of current approaches to determining portion sizes of food and drink products.

The review is the first stage in a process which aims to seek and promote a consistent way to communicate portion sizes.
 

How does the range of food portions available affect intake?

Does size matter?

The nutritional value of foods is determined by their nutrient content and the quantity consumed. With the growing incidence of obesity among both adults and children in the UK, the size of food portions has come under scrutiny.

A number of academic studies have found portion size to be a significant factor influencing excessive intake, but few of these have been carried out outside of the laboratory. Understanding is therefore limited in terms of how the range of food portions available to consumers affects their intake.
 

A number of academic studies have found portion size to be a significant factor influencing excessive intake, but few of these have been carried out outside of the laboratory.

Food labelling

Portion size is also important from the perspective of food labelling. Many products now have voluntary nutrition information on pack including content of fat, sugar and salt per portion. The amount designated as a portion, and even the terminology used to describe it, can vary – even within the same food categories.
 

Findings of the Review

In the report ‘Portion Size: A Review of Existing Approaches’ the way in which portion sizes are set across government, industry, non-governmental organisations and health care professional bodies is examined. Overall, the report found that all four of these groups base portion size on a common set of scientific and expert publications, but a variety of factors influence how this information is used.
 

Recommendations

The report makes a number of recommendations for future work on portion size:

• Research to understand how consumers respond to information on portion sizes
• Good practice in terms of communication to consumers
• Continued investigation into the relationship between portion size and intake, outside of the laboratory environment

The end goal is to deliver benefit to consumers by ensuring that portion sizes have a sound basis and that information is helpful and relevant.
 

More information:

Portion Size: A Review of Existing Approaches Portion size is important for food labelling purposes and from the perspective of nutrient and energy intake. This free guide illustrates current approaches to portion size across the food & grocery industry and provides recommendations for consistent portion size communication.

Rachel Hackett is Nutrition Manager at IGD. She works with the Industry Nutrition Strategy Group on nutrition-related projects that enable the food and drink industry to play a constructive role in the development of integrated, cohesive and balanced nutrition strategies throughout the UK