RT Journal Article
T1 ‘Superfoods’: Reliability of the Information for Consumers Available on the Web
A1 Cobos García, Ángel
A1 Díaz Rubio, Olga
K1 Superfoods
K1 Consumers
K1 Online information
K1 Disease prevention
K1 Health
AB The term ‘superfoods’, used frequently with marketing purposes, is usually associated with foodstuffs with beneficial health properties. ‘Superfoods’ appears in many information sources, including digital media. The information they provide is easily accessible for consumers through Internet search engines. The objective of this work is to investigate the data that web pages offer to consumers and their accuracy according to current scientific knowledge. The two main search engines were utilized for English language websites search, introducing the term ‘superfoods’. In total, 124 search results were found. After applying the selection criteria, 45 web pages were studied. A total of 136 foods were considered as ‘superfoods’ by sites; 10 of them (kale, spinach, salmon, blueberries, avocado, chia, walnuts, beans, fermented milks and garlic) were mentioned on at least 15 sites. Nutritional and healthy properties displayed on sites were compared to scientific information. In conclusion, websites present the information in a very simplified manner and it is generally not wrong. However, they should offer to consumers comprehensible information without raising false expectations regarding health benefits. In any case, ‘superfoods’ consumption can have salutary effects as part of a balanced diet.
PB MDPI
SN 2304-8158
YR 2023
FD 2023
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/38398
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/38398
LA eng
NO Cobos, Á., Díaz, O. (2023). ‘Superfoods’: reliability of the information for consumers available on the Web. "Foods", 12, 546. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12030546
NO This research was funded by Xunta de Galicia, grant number GPC ED431B 2019/13.
DS Minerva
RD 24 abr 2026