Ultra-processed foods and the nutritional transition among infants and young children: a radiography from Brazil

The authors reply

“…The first point we would like to highlight is the recognition of the improvement of living conditions and nutrition indicators and the reduction of regional, schooling, and maternal race/skin color inequalities from 2006 to 2019 2,3,4,5,6 . This recognition is followed by warnings that Brazil still had much to do to fully overcome these inequalities in 2019, an even more evident need due to the effects of the dismantling of public policies Brazil experienced from 2016 to 2022 together to those effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

“…Secondly, we would like to address the challenge of preventing and dealing with all forms of childhood malnutrition: hunger, malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, early weaning, and overweight. The commentators 2,3,4,6 offered some suggestions to deal with this challenge: synergistic and convergent intersectoral public policies, which combine structure measures with responses to immediate needs and which confront the predatory practices of large corporations, especially those linked to food systems assuming the Brazilian dietary guidelines 11,12 as guiding instruments and inducers of these public policies. We should also emphasize the centrality of policies that contribute to overcoming gender inequalities related to child care.…”