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This document is a correction notice for a study published in the journal PLoS ONE. The correction relates to Table 1 in the study, specifically the values in the "reference amount" column. The corrected table provides information on the nutrient thresholds that would determine the display of a front-of-pack symbol according to Canadian front-of-pack labeling regulations. The table includes age groups, reference amounts, thresholds as a percentage of the daily value, and absolute amounts per nutrient for saturated fat, sodium, and sugars. The correction notice does not provide any additional information or analysis beyond the corrected table. [Extracted from the article]

Background and objective: Food reformulation is a World Health Organization "best buy" intervention for supporting population-wide dietary sodium reduction, with the establishment of sodium reduction targets for foods as a key implementation strategy. In 2015 the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) led the development of regional sodium targets for the Americas, with planned, periodic monitoring and updating. Here, we describe the methodology for updating the PAHO Regional sodium targets that were released in 2021. Methods: Five successive stages were executed to update the targets: 1) Compile national targets set by Member States in the Region; 2) Synthesize and evaluate data on the sodium content of foods in Member States; 3) Consult with countries on the inclusion of new and/or revised food categories; 4) Draft new and/or revised regional targets considering the distribution of sodium in regional foods and best practices in target setting in other jurisdictions, and; 5) Seek feedback and endorsement from the PAHO Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention through Population-wide Salt Reduction through a series of meetings. Results: The updated targets were expanded from 18 food categories in 2015 to 75 sub-categories (in 16 food categories). Target levels for 2022 and 2025 were established for all sub-categories (mg sodium/100g and mg sodium/100kcal). The 2022 and 2025 targets were based on a 15% and 30% reduction, respectively, from the measured sodium levels at the 50th percentile. The calculated targets were assessed for feasibility and adjusted by comparing the calculated values to national targets in the region, to the United Kingdom targets, and to the 25th percentile which gave an indication of the overall distribution of sodium in a subcategory. Feasibility assessment also included the known proportion of regional foods meeting the 2015 PAHO sodium targets. Conclusions: The updated PAHO regional sodium targets are feasible and based on regional sodium data and best practices in target setting. The PAHO TAG reached consensus and endorsed the targets. The targets will support countries in the Americas in facilitating food reformulation, towards the achievement of population-wide sodium reduction goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Monitoring the nutritional quality of national food supplies is key to nutrition research, policy development, and monitoring the food supply to curb diet-related non-communicable diseases. Objective: The Food Label Information and Price (FLIP) Program is a big data approach to the collection and evaluation of brand-name foods in Canada and Latin American and Caribbean Countries (LAC). Methods: FLIP is a longitudinal cloud-based database of packaged and chain restaurant foods and beverages collected since 2010 in Canada and since 2015 in LAC. The most recent iteration in Canada, FLIP 2020, used website "scraping", artificial intelligence-enhanced optical character recognition (AI-OCR), natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML) algorithms to collect, process and manage food label information on all foods and beverages available on seven major Canadian e-grocery retailer websites and 201 Canadian chain restaurants. Additionally, a pilot study was conducted to examine the feasibility of extracting Nutrition Facts tables (NFt) and ingredient list information from the food label photos in Spanish using AI-OCR. Results: FLIP-Canada is comprised of 119,541 packaged foods and 21,225 menu items. Automating categorizations and analyses of data allows for timely observations to support evidence-based public health policies including menu labelling, front-of-pack nutrition labeling, regulations restricting marketing of unhealthy foods to children, and sodium reduction guidance targets. FLIPLAC is comprised of 42,629 packaged foods and data were used to set the Updated PAHO Regional Sodium Reduction Targets, and to monitor progress against national, regional, and global sodium reduction targets as of 2022. Conclusions: FLIP, with its comprehensive sampling and granularity and recent use of AI-OCR, NLP and ML algorithms, is a powerful tool for greatly enhancing data collection and enabling the timely evaluation and monitoring of both the Canadian and LAC food supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the current Na levels in a variety of processed food groups and categories available in the Argentinean market to monitor compliance with the National Law and to compare the current Na content levels with the updated Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) regional targets., Design: Observational cross-sectional study., Setting and Participants: Argentina. Data were collected during March 2022 in the city of Buenos Aires in two of the main supermarket chains. We carried out a systematic survey of pre-packaged food products available in the food supply assessing Na content as reported in nutrition information panels., Results: We surveyed 3997 food products, and the Na content of 760 and 2511 of them was compared with the maximum levels according to the Argentinean law and the regional targets, respectively. All food categories presented high variability of Na content. More than 90 % of the products included in the National Sodium Reduction Law were found to be compliant. Food groups with high median Na, such as meat and fish condiments, leavening flour and appetisers are not included in the National Law. In turn, comparisons with PAHO regional targets indicated that more than 50 % of the products were found to exceed the regional targets for Na., Conclusions: This evidence suggests that it is imperative to update the National Sodium Reduction Law based on regional public health standards, adding new food groups and setting more stringent legal targets.