Trans Fat Labeling Information on Brazilian Packaged Foods

Abstract

Although the adverse effects of trans fat consumption are well documented, industrially-produced trans fats are still used in a variety of food products. Our objective was to investigate the presence of trans fat information on the nutrition facts panel, in the list of ingredients, and the use of trans fat claims in packaged food and beverages marketed in Brazil. This was a cross-sectional study that used data from packaged food and beverages available in the five supermarket chains with the largest market share in Brazil. Of the 11,434 products that were analyzed, 81.3% did not present a source of trans fats in the list of ingredients. The percentages of products with specific (hydrogenated fats or oils) and unspecific trans fat terms (margarine, vegetable fat, and vegetable cream) in the list of ingredients were 4.1% and 14.6%, respectively. Bakery products, cookies and crackers, candies and desserts, snacks, and convenience foods had the highest percentages of trans fat claims. We also found claims in products with ingredients that are sources of trans fats. In conclusion, trans fat ingredients were found in almost one-fifth of the Brazilian packaged foods. The current Brazilian legislation is not sufficient to inform consumers about the content of trans fats in packaged foods. Along with measures to restrict the use of industrially-produced trans fats, improvements in nutritional labeling are also needed.

Presence of trans fatty acids containing ingredients in pre‐packaged foods in Australia in 2018

“…Our analysis suggests that the use of iTFA‐containing ingredients is low in Australia compared to other countries. For example, analysis in Brazil identified 4.1% of packaged products contained specific ingredients indicative of iTFA 5 . This notwithstanding, those who are regular consumers of products containing iTFA remain at risk of unacceptably high exposure.…”

“…We searched the ingredient list of each product using specific terms (Partially Hydrogenated Fat, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil and Hydrogenated) that indicate ingredients that are sources of iTFA 5 . In addition, we searched for non‐specific terms (Vegetable Fat, Margarine and Vegetable Cream) which may or may not indicate the presence of iTFA‐containing ingredients 5 . Number and proportion of foods containing iTFA‐indicating ingredients were calculated across all products and for each major food group and different manufacturers.…”

Nutritional Profile and the use "Whole Grains" Claims in Packaged Food in Brazil

“…Nonetheless, no laboratory analysis was performed to verify the amount of whole grains in the composition of the products or to check their nutrition content, so the information used is based exclusively on what the companies declare on the food labels. However, the nutrition information from the labels of food products marketed in Brazil has been used without any indication that the percentage of erroneous information is relevant (30)(31)(32).…”

Ultra-processed food and beverage advertising on Brazilian television by International Network for Food and Obesity/Non-Communicable Diseases Research, Monitoring and Action Support benchmark

“…A detailed description of the variables collected for each ad can be found elsewhere (15) . All food-related ads were classified according to the NOVA classification system (19,20) and linked to nutritional information compiled as part of other research studies (21) . In ads with more than one product, the 'less healthy' product was selected (based on the NOVA system and the nutrition composition).…”