Identification of frequently consumed commercially prepared ready-to-eat foods and beverages in Bangladesh

Sohel Reza Choudhury; Abu Ahmed Shamim; Nazma Shaheen; Nisarga Bahar; Sneha Sarwar; Md Musharraf Ashraf; Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun; Sheikh Mohammad Mahbubus Sobhan; Md Joynul Abedin; Kabir Hossen; Mohammad Robed Amin; Abdul Alim

doi:10.3329/brc.v7i2.54377

Authors

Sohel Reza Choudhury National Heart Foundation Hospital & Research Institute, Plot 7/2, Section 2, Mirpur, Dhaka 1216
Abu Ahmed Shamim National Heart Foundation Hospital & Research Institute, Plot 7/2, Section 2, Mirpur, Dhaka 1216
Nazma Shaheen Institute of Nutrition and Food Science, Dhaka University, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
Nisarga Bahar National Heart Foundation Hospital & Research Institute, Plot 7/2, Section 2, Mirpur, Dhaka 1216
Sneha Sarwar National Heart Foundation Hospital & Research Institute, Plot 7/2, Section 2, Mirpur, Dhaka 1216
Md Musharraf Ashraf National Heart Foundation Hospital & Research Institute, Plot 7/2, Section 2, Mirpur, Dhaka 1216
Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun National Heart Foundation Hospital & Research Institute, Plot 7/2, Section 2, Mirpur, Dhaka 1216
Sheikh Mohammad Mahbubus Sobhan National Heart Foundation Hospital & Research Institute, Plot 7/2, Section 2, Mirpur, Dhaka 1216
Md Joynul Abedin Institute of Nutrition and Food Science, Dhaka University, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
Kabir Hossen CIPRB- a Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Mohammad Robed Amin Non-Communicable Disease Control (NCDC) Programme, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Mohakhali, Dhaka-1212
Abdul Alim Non-Communicable Disease Control (NCDC) Programme, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Mohakhali, Dhaka-1212

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3329/brc.v7i2.54377

Keywords:

Ready-to-eat foods, nutrition, salt, sugar, saturated fat, trans fats, Bangladesh

Abstract

Ready-to-eat processed foods and beverages are eaten without further cooking or processing. These are generally energy-dense and contain a high amount of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar. The consumption pattern of these foods varies regionally, seasonally, and age-wise. The present study aims to identify commercially prepared ready-to-eat processed foods and beverages frequently consumed by different age groups in rural and urban areas of Bangladesh during the month of Ramadan and the non-Ramadan period. In this cross-sectional study, 948 individuals from 480 households in all eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh were interviewed during the month of Ramadan and the Non-Ramadan period. We identified puffed rice, peyaju, chanachur, chips, unbranded ice cream to be the overall highly consumed foods, consumed by 46.3, 40.1, 39.6 38.0, and 33.1 percent respondents, respectively. Consumption of foods other than puffed rice was significantly different across the age groups (p<0.05). A significantly higher number of respondents consumed puffed rice, deep-fried foods (peyaju, beguni, jilapi), and branded ice cream during Ramadan as compared to the non-Ramadan period (p<0.05). It was also found that the overall consumption rate of packaged items was higher among the urban population as compared to the respondent living in rural areas. When the foods were scored according to their consumption rate stratified by age, fasting, and regions, puffed rice, chips, chanachur, unbranded ice cream, peyaju were found to be top foods. Considering frequent intake of processed foods their nutrient composition should be analyzed to know their healthiness.

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