No study has investigated the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the public’s interest in using energy labelling on restaurant menus. This study explores the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the public interest in using energy labelling on restaurant menus and meal delivery applications and the impact of energy-labelling availability on food choices during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire was completed by 1657 participants aged ≥ 18 years. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 32% of customers visited a restaurant 2–4 times/week. However, during the pandemic, 35% of customers visited a restaurant only once per week. There was no difference in interest in reading energy labelling or using meal delivery applications before and during the pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, about 55% of restaurant customers reported that they had noticed energy labelling, with 42% of them being influenced by the energy-labelling information. Regarding energy information on food delivery applications, 40% of customers noticed energy labelling when using the applications, with 33% of them being affected by the energy labelling. Customer interest in reading about energy on restaurant menus during the pandemic did not change significantly from the level of interest before the pandemic. The interest expressed by the public in using the energy labelling was low both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Diet quality indices serve as standardized tools to evaluate adherence to dietary guidelines and inform nutrition and public health research. The present study aimed to develop the Saudi Healthy Eating Index (SHEI) to assess adherence to the 2024 version of the Saudi Healthy Plate (SHP) guide. Methods: Twelve components were selected for the SHEI based on the key dietary recommendations of the SHP guide. All components are scored between zero and ten points, except for components measuring the same dietary aspect, which are assigned up to five points. The total adherence score ranges between zero (no adherence) and 100 (complete adherence). Results: Maximum scores and standards were assigned to each component as follows: fruits (ten points, ≥ 0.6 servings/1000 kcal), vegetables (ten points, ≥ 1.1 servings/1000 kcal), grains (five points, ≥ 3.5 servings/1000 kcal), whole grain ratio (five points, ratio of whole grains to total grains ≥ 0.5), protein foods (five points, ≥ 2.2 servings/1000 kcal), seafood and plant-based protein foods (five points, ≥ 0.9 servings/1000 kcal), dairy products (ten points, ≥ 0.8 servings/1000 kcal), beverages (ten points, only water or non-sweetened beverages consumed), fatty acid ratio (ten points, ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids ≥ 2.6), saturated fats (ten points, ≤ 7% of energy intake), added sugar (ten points, ≤ 5% of energy intake), and sodium (ten points, ≤ 0.8 g of sodium per 1000 kcal). Conclusion: The SHEI was designed to measure diet quality by determining adherence to the SHP guide recommendations. Future research is needed to evaluate its validity and reliability and to explore its potential applications in public health nutrition.

Background: The use of online food ordering applications is widespread; however, to date, there have been no studies on the effect of the menu calorie labeling in online food ordering applications on the consumers’ dietary habits and food choices in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the response of the consumers to the menu energy-labeling on online food ordering applications in Saudi Arabia by exploring: (a) the consumers’ preference and frequency of ordering from online food applications; (b) the consumers' self-reported knowledge, awareness, and interest towards menu calorie information on online food ordering applications; (c) the impact of menu calorie information on online food ordering applications on consumers’ food choices. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted between October and November of 2022. A total of 419 participants were recruited using an online questionnaire. Results: The findings showed that most participants (59%) preferred to order using online food ordering applications. Saving time and effort are the main reasons for using online food ordering applications (61%). Nearly half of the participants (45%) were interested in viewing calorie information on online food ordering applications menus and (47%) did notice calorie information displayed on the menu when ordering from an online food ordering application. Calorie information in online food ordering applications menus is primarily utilized to monitor intake for weight maintenance (19%). The ability to calculate energy requirements and interest in viewing calorie information on online food ordering applications menus were linked to younger age and a higher level of education (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Overall, consumers showed limited awareness and interest towards the menu calorie information displayed in the online food ordering applications. These findings highlight the importance of developing public health programs to increase public awareness about calorie labeling on menus to aid in the success and effectiveness of the calorie labeling in online food ordering applications as a tool to promote balanced energy intake. Further research is needed to understand the most effective way to deliver calorie information to consumers on an online food ordering application.

Background Nutrient profiling (NP) is used to classify and rank foods and beverages, according to their nutritional composition to improve public health. Although numerous regulatory bodies and researchers have developed nutrient profile models and indices, no study in Saudi Arabia has developed an index specifically designed to evaluate the nutritional profiles of Saudi meals. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and validate the Saudi Healthy Meal Index (SHMI) to assess the nutritional quality of Saudi meals. Methods The instrument was developed in four phases. First, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify appropriate NP algorithms based on the suitability of their inputs, computational logic, and outputs. Second, the SHMI was developed by incorporating 16 nutrients to encourage and three nutrients to limit, using 100 g of solid meals as the reference basis. Third, the index was validated by comparison with an established NP index, and the agreement was assessed using the weighted Cohen’s kappa statistic. Finally, the SHMI was applied to 130 traditional Saudi meals. Results Across 130 traditional Saudi meals, the median energy density was 179.5 kcal/100 g, with substantial variability in macro- and micro-nutrient compositions. SHMI scores ranged from 0 to 21, with “ qursan ” meal achieving the highest score (21). Quartile-based analysis indicated more consistent nutrient gradients, particularly for nutrients to encourage, as well as nutrient limits such as sodium. Agreement between SHMI and established NP index was moderate in the highest and lowest quartiles, (κ = 0.50 and κ = 0.40) and fair in the intermediate quartiles (κ = 0.30). Conclusion The SHMI provides a context-specific NP approach for evaluating the nutritional quality of Saudi meals. This index may support research and policy development. Future studies should examine its use in dietary assessments, food environment analysis, and digital nutrition information systems.

Background The use of food delivery applications is widespread; however, to date, there have been no studies on the effect of menu labeling on public’s dietary behavior and food choices. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the public preference and experience of ordering from food delivery applications, their response to the availability of calorie labeling in food delivery applications, and whether it impacts their food choices. Methods This is a cross-sectional study conducted between October and November of 2022. A total of 419 participants were recruited using an online questionnaire. Results The findings showed that most participants (59%) preferred to order using food delivery applications. Saving time and effort are the main reasons for using food delivery applications (61%). Caloric information in food delivery application menus is primarily utilized to monitor intake for weight maintenance (19%). The ability to calculate energy requirements and interest in viewing caloric information on food delivery application menus were linked to younger age and a higher level of education (p < 0.05). Conclusions These findings highlight the need to increase public awareness about calorie labeling on menus to aid the success and effectiveness of the calorie labeling in food delivery applications as a tool to promote balanced energy intake.