No abstract

The implementation of front‐of‐pack labelling to assist consumers in making healthier food choices requires an appropriate Nutritional Profile Model (NPM) to be defined. However, four different models have been proposed in Brazil: the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Brazilian Association of Food Industries (ABIA) and National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) less (1) and more restrictive (2) models. The present study aimed to use the information provided on the labels of eight ultra‐processed food categories selected from the most popular group of foods targeted at Brazilian children, to score critical nutrient levels according to the four different NPMs and compare the proportion of products categorised as ‘high’, ‘medium’ or ‘low’ according to each one. Labels (n = 409) were collected in supermarkets in Belo Horizonte‐MG, Brazil. Data were tabulated, and a comparison of the ‘high’ content of the four nutrients, total sugars, total and saturated fats and sodium, according to the four NPMs, was performed. Agreement between ‘high’, ‘medium’ and ‘low’ scores according to the different NPMs, in comparison with the PAHO model, was performed using the Kappa test. Of all ‘fruit’ drinks, 95% were considered as ‘high’ in total sugars by the PAHO model, while only 5% were categorised as ‘high’ by the ABIA and ANVISA 1 models. For total sugars, no product in the cakes, breakfast cereals and yogurts categories and only 5.7% of the sandwich cookies were categorised as ‘high’ by the ABIA model, while 100% of sandwich cookies were categorised as having a ‘high’ total sugars content by the PAHO and ANVISA models. Similar findings were observed for breakfast cereals, yogurts and corn snacks for the proportion of products scoring ‘high’ for saturated fats and sodium. Kappa's concordance analysis showed moderate to excellent agreement between the PAHO and ANVISA 2 models. It was observed that the PAHO model indicated more foods with a ‘high’ content of critical nutrients. We conclude that the ABIA model is more permissive when compared to the other models and the PAHO model more restrictive.

No abstract

One of the suggestions for improving the understanding of food labels is implementing front-of-pack nutrition labeling (FoPNL), where nutritional information is objectively made available to consumers. Scientific data on the best FoPNL model to be adopted for the Brazilian population is still emerging, especially in real-world purchase situations. This study aims to evaluate/compare the proposed Brazilian and Mexican FoPNL systems, on different outcome measures, using an application, in dairy foods available in a supermarket aisle. This pilot randomized controlled trial in a real-world purchase situation was conducted in June/July 2021. A total of 230 participants were randomly allocated to one of the three study arms (Mexican and Brazilian FoPNL systems or control—nutritional information table and ingredients list). Using a smartphone, the participants scanned a product barcode and received the allocated FoPNL (with information about excessive added sugars, sodium, and/or saturated fat content) or the control. After, they answered questions related to our primary outcome (decision to buy or not to buy a product) and secondary outcomes (perceived healthiness, facilitation of a quick purchase decision, and identification of excess nutrients). The Mexican FoPNL system performed better in the primary outcome (3.74 ± 1.34) and “facilitation of a quick purchase decision” (3.59 ± 1.31), compared to the control (3.28 ± 1.45;p = 0.043 and 3.11 ± 1.42; p = 0.029). The Mexican FoPNL system performed better in supporting consumers to identify dairy foods, among the selected sample in this study, high in added sugars than the control (82.2% and 63.5% of correct answers, respectively; p = 0.009). For saturated fats, the Brazilian FoPNL resulted in 93.1% of correct answers against 48.2% for the control and 58.9% for the Mexican system (p ≤ 0.001). The Mexican FoPNL system facilitated consumer decision-making on when to buy or not to buy a selected dairy product and in helping to quickly decide which dairy products to buy, among the selected sample in this study, compared to the control. Considering the right answers of critical nutrients in excess or not, both models of FoPNL, delivered by a smartphone app, performed well.

O consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados pode ser especialmente prejudicial na infância, uma vez que as crianças são consideradas mais vulneráveis aos efeitos dos aditivos alimentares. Objetivou-se avaliar, de acordo com a informação presente nos rótulos, os tipos de aditivos alimentares presentes em alimentos destinados ao público infantil. Trata-se de estudo transversal, descritivo, no qual se compilou os tipos de aditivos presentes na lista de ingredientes de oito categorias (bebidas com sabor de frutas, bebidas lácteas, biscoitos recheados, bolos, cereais matinais, gelatinas, salgadinhos de milho e iogurtes) de produtos com apelo infantil (n= 409) coletados em supermercados de Belo Horizonte–MG, durante segundo semestre de 2018. Apenas 19 (4,6%) produtos não possuíam algum tipo de aditivo. As categorias dos bolos (8,3±2,1) e das gelatinas (8,3±1,2) apresentaram maior média de aditivos e a categoria dos cereais matinais, menor (2,2±1,6). Os aditivos alimentares mais encontrados foram: aromatizantes (79%; n=323), corantes (56%; n=229) e emulsificantes (36%; n=148). Conclui-se que os alimentos voltados ao público infantil possuem, em sua maioria, pelo menos um tipo de aditivo alimentar. Foram encontradas majoritariamente as classes dos aromatizantes, corantes e emulsificantes nos produtos avaliados.