Objective: The present study investigated how trans-fat is reported on the packaging of foods sold in a Brazilian supermarket. Design: The present descriptive, cross-sectional study analysed the ingredient list, nutrition facts label and claims of no trans-fat on the packaging. Setting: A large supermarket in Florianópolis, Brazil. Subjects: All food products available at the supermarket. Results: Of the 2327 study products, more than half had components containing trans-fat in the ingredient list, especially hydrogenated vegetable fat and its alternative names. A small percentage of food products reported some trans-fat content on the nutrition facts label and roughly a quarter of the food products claimed to contain no trans-fat on the front of the packaging. There was very low agreement among the trans-fat content reported in the nutrition facts label, claims of no trans-fat made on the packaging and the ingredient list. Conclusions: There was low agreement among the different ways of reporting trans-fat, suggesting that it is not possible to rely on the nutrition facts label or no trans-fat claims printed on the packaging of Brazilian food products. Hence, the Brazilian legislation on food labels needs to change to improve the reliability of food labels and to help control the trans-fat intake of the population.

The purpose of this exploratory, descriptive, and cross-sectional study was to investigate the relationship between the price and availability of food products with and without trans fatty acids in food stores near elementary schools located in low- and medium-income neighborhoods of a Brazilian city. The supply of products containing trans fatty acids was higher in both regions, and these products were also cheaper. It is noteworthy that this availability may influence food choices and, consequently, the health status of children and adolescents, since this population is more likely to buy less-healthy foods when these are more available, accessible, and financially attractive.

Consumption of trans fat has been proven to be harmful to human health. This lipid is found mainly in partially hydrogenated vegetable fat, which is widely used in processed foods. The aim of this study was to analyze official publications on maximum limits for consumption of trans fat and the regulations for its mandatory notification on the nutritional labeling of processed foods in Brazil. Weaknesses in the content of the documents analyzed were found, especially regarding the need for reformulation of both the maximum recommended consumption and the notification of trans fat on nutritional labeling for processed foods. This paper makes suggestions for this reformulation, through which it is sought to help consumers in controlling their trans fat intake and, consequently, in promotion of health.

No abstract

In Brazil, the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) made the labeling of trans fats in foods mandatory from July 2006. The claim "trans fat free" can be used only for foods with trans fat content lower than 0.2g and saturated fat content lower than 2g per serving. This study determined fatty acid profile by gas chromatography and total fat content of nine cookie types and three bread types and the results obtained were compared with the values reported on the labels of these products. According to the results, 92% of the products contained trans fat, although only 33% reported this on their labels. There was no significant difference with the experimentally determined levels of the products that reported the presence of trans fat. In 67% of the products that reported an absence of trans fat on their labels, less than 0.2g of trans fat per serving was experimentally detected. The results revealed that the food product manufacturers studied are labeling trans fat content properly according to the law as they report products that have less than 0.2g trans fat as "trans fat free". However, it bears noting that claiming that a product is free of trans fat on the label does not always guarantee that it is not present in the product and that the maximum suggested daily intake of 2g will not be exceeded relatively easily considering that consumers do not always consume only the amount identified as the serving size on the label. Also, the paper enabled a discussion about the lack of standardization in the description of fat used as ingredient in foods.