IN a first-of-its-kind cross-national assessment, researchers compared the nutritional content and “healthiness” of sweet and salty snacks and beverages in South Korea and the United States using standard nutrition labels. The study revealed that widely consumed products in both countries fare poorly under front-of-package and back-of-package labeling systems, highlighting significant opportunities for reform.
The investigators selected three snack types (chips, cookies, chocolate) and three beverage categories (carbonated drinks, fruit juices/drinks, energy drinks), using sales data to identify the top 10–15 best-selling products in each country. Artificially sweetened items were excluded. For each product, they collected nutritional values, percentages of fruit/vegetable content, and serving sizes from brand and retail sources. They then applied multiple front-of-package nutrition labeling (FoPNL) systems, such as traffic light labels, Health Star Rating, and Nutri-Score, to rate product healthiness.
The findings show that Korean snacks delivered significantly higher amounts of protein, total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol relative to US counterparts. In contrast, the US snacks (especially chips) and US carbonated drinks had greater sodium content, while US energy drinks contained more caffeine than their Korean equivalents. Serving sizes also differed: US carbonated drinks were considerably larger, whereas US chip portions tended to be smaller. Across both countries and all categories, the majority of tested products were classified as “less healthy” by the FoPNL systems.
These results suggest that manufacturers in both nations should reconsider not only the nutrient composition but also portion sizes of high-consumption snack and beverage products. From a policy perspective, more transparent and consumer-friendly labeling could help clinicians and public health authorities guide healthier choices.
Reference: Gong BJ et al. Nutritional content and healthiness in sweet and salty snacks and beverages popular in South Korea and the United States assessed by nutrition labels: a cross-sectional comparative study. Korean J Community Nutr. 2024 Dec;29(6):467-479.
