N03: Refined Ingredients

(3 points)

INTENT

Help individuals avoid highly processed foods and ingredients.  

SUMMARY

This WELL feature requires that all foods and beverages comply with sugar, refined grain and artificial trans fat limitations and requires maintenance of frying oil quality.   

ISSUE

Poor diets are the second-leading risk factor for mortality and morbidity globally, accounting for 8% of all deaths and contributing to an estimated 9.6% of the global burden of disease. Highly processed or refined foods contain many artificial ingredients, including added sugars, refined grains and artificial trans fats. Refining grains removes most of the vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber that are originally present. Dietary fiber is beneficial as it may lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes and obesity and is associated with improved digestive health. However, high intake of sugar and added sugars is associated with poor diet quality, an increased risk of heart disease, weight gain, obesity and tooth decay. Trans fats have no known health benefits and increased intake of trans fats is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for the global elimination of industrially-produced trans fats in an effort to reduce global trans fat intake.

SOLUTIONS

Increasing access to healthier food items includes increasing the availability of healthier alternatives as well as limiting the availability of highly processed foods. The WHO recommends that children and adults reduce intake of added sugars throughout their lifetime and further suggests reducing the intake of added sugars to less than 5% of total energy intake. Based on average adult daily energy requirements, this generally translates to consuming no more than 25 grams of added sugar per day. Limiting intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and sugary foods can help individuals meet WHO sugar recommendations and reduce daily sugar intake. Promoting the consumption of whole grains by increasing whole grain options can help individuals make at least half of their grains whole grains. Partially hydrogenated oils (or trans fats) are not part of a healthy diet and their intake should be strictly limited. Since frying oils can oxidize and degrade as they are used, they should be discarded before the level of degradation becomes hazardous to human health.

IMPACT

Poor diet is a top contributor to the global burden of non-communicable disease.^[1] Fortunately, the environments where individuals spend most their time can be an important point of intervention for the promotion of healthy diets. 

REQUIREMENTS

Part 1

Limit Total Sugars (1 point)

Verified by Policy Document

For All Spaces 

All foods and beverages sold or provided on a daily basis within the project boundary meet the following requirements:

1. Beverages do not contain more than 25 g of sugar per container. Bulk containers of 1 L [1 qt] or larger do not contain more than 25 g of sugar per serving.

2. At least 25% of beverages contain no sugar per container or serving, or drinking water is available at no cost.

3. No non-beverage food item (except whole fruit) contains more than 25 g of sugar per serving.

Part 2

Promote Whole Grains (1 point)

Verified by Policy Document

For All Spaces

All foods and beverages sold or provided on a daily basis within the project boundary meet the following requirements:

1. In at least 50% of grain-based foods, a whole grain is the first ingredient.

2. If both whole grain and refined grain options are available, whole grain options do not cost more than their refined grain counterparts (i.e., brown rice does not cost more than white rice).

Part 3

Manage Oils (1 point)

Verified by Policy Document

For All Spaces

The following requirements are met:

1. All foods and beverages sold or provided on a daily basis within the project boundary do not contain partially hydrogenated oils.

2. Frying oils used on-site are discarded before the level of total polar materials (TPM) becomes greater than 24% during operation.

© International WELL Building Institute