2.4. Calculation of Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion (NPSC) and Health Star Rating (HSR)

Following completion of the audit, the information collected during the audit was used to apply the nutrient profiling scoring criterion (NPSC) for all analysed yoghurt products, in order to determine which products were eligible to carry a health claim [11]. The food properties required for the NPSC were obtained from the NIP of each product, including energy, total and saturated fat, sugar, sodium, protein, fibre, and percentage of fruit, vegetables, nuts and legumes (FVNL) [11].

The NPSC allocates food properties into two categories, baseline points (B) and modifying points (V Points). Baseline points include energy, saturated fat, sugar, and sodium of the product per 100 g, while modifying points consist of the product’s FVNL percentage, protein (P), and fibre (F) per 100 g. The final score is calculated by subtracting the total modifying points (FVNL + P + F) from baseline points; baseline points—((FVNL) + (P) + (F)) [11]. The final value is then utilised to determine whether or not a product is eligible to carry health claims.

The value used to indicate whether a product meets the NPSC varies across food and beverage categories. Yoghurt, and yoghurt-containing products must achieve a score less than four to meet the NPSC and be eligible to carry a general or high-level health claim [11]. In the current study, while most components required for the NPSC were obtained from the NIP and ingredients list, certain properties such as fibre and saturated fat content were not available on some of the audited products. In such instances, the contents were estimated based on averages of similar yoghurt products containing the food property on the NIP (Supplementary Table S1). Finally, in cases where estimations of nutrient content appeared on a product’s NIP such as “<1 g” or “<0.1 g” the value was assumed to be half of that specified, for instance if the NIP stated “Fibre: <1 g”, it was treated as 0.5 g. Due to the low amount of these nutrients present in the products, it should be noted that this estimation would not affect the NPSC calculated.

In cases where FVNL percentages were not present on yoghurt packaging, estimates were made based on the ingredient list (which must be listed in descending order according to weight) [40] and similar yoghurt products containing similar ingredient/s. However, it should be noted that in order for a product to be eligible for FVNL points it must contain either 25% or more of concentrated fruit or vegetables; more than 40% nonconcentrated FVNL; or a mixture of more than 40% of nonconcentrated FVNL and concentrated fruit or vegetables [41]. In terms of yoghurt products analysed, concentrated fruit or vegetable content was the most common FVNL criteria assessed, with the majority of products not meeting the cut-off required, suggesting that the imputation of the amount of FVNL would have minimal effect on the NPSC calculated.

The HSR was also calculated for all yoghurt products. Utilising the nutrition composition per 100 g, the HSR allocates points for energy, saturated fat, sodium, and total sugar contents (risk factors for chronic disease), as well as FVNL content, protein, and fibre [42]. In addition to calculating the HSR for all products, whether a product listed the HSR on its packaging was also noted.