Identification of food products for sportsmen

Purpose. To develop theoretical and practical approaches to identification of food products for sportsmen. Methodology. The methodological framework of the research is based on the methods of scientific inquiry, the system approach and generalization, legal and regulatory acts of Ukraine and EU, scientific works. Findings. The continual growth in the number of falsified food products for sportsmen on the domestic market, their illegal transfer across the custom border and other factors cause the need for efforts aimed at their identification. The regulatory framework on manufacturing and distribution of food products for sportsmen does not contain a clear regulation of their identification procedure, which raises the importance of development and implementation of the effective mechanism for control of the reliability of manufacturers’ statements about specific properties of food products, based on the scientific approach and involving innovative methods of identification. It is argued that an important phase in the identification expertise of food products for sportsmen is elaborating criteria and means of identification. Criteria for identification of food products for sportsmen are elaborated by case of candy bar. The important criteria for identification of this product group include: marking, taste, smell, appearance, form, sugar mass, net mass, mass percentage of moisture and mass percentage of carbohydrates, origin of protein component; origin of fats; quantitative and qualitative composition of biologically active substances. The results of identification by organoleptic and physical-chemical indicators demonstrate that the tested samples of candy bars for sportsmen comply with the requirements of the current regulatory document. However, if testing for identification purpose is confined to the standardized quality indicators, it will not ensure the soundness of the product identification procedure. Inclusion of the elaborated identification criteria in the regulatory document seems appropriate, because it will enable for the commodity expertise. Originality. The approaches to identification of food products for sportsmen are analyzed. Identification criteria for candy bars for sportsmen are elaborated, and their identification expertise is performed. The practical value. It is proposed to standardize the elaborated identification criteria through their inclusion in the regulatory documents for enhancing the effectiveness of the identification procedure performed by supervisory authorities, trade organizations or consumers

food products for sportsmen; identification; identification criteria; means of identification; market; regulations