Food labels in Brazil do not list all additives, study finds
Food packaging in Brazil does not provide enough information to clarify buyers, according to a study conducted by nutritionists from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (Uerj) and the country’s consumer defense Idec.
The study focused on additives and found inaccuracies and non-compliance in ingredient lists, which prevents Brazilians from making a safe choice.
Professor Daniela Canella, who supervised the study, explained that additives are inserted into beverages and ultra-processed foods to modify their physical, chemical, biological, or sensorial characteristics and have no nutritional factor. Ham, sausage, packaged breads, soft drinks, dairy drinks, and margarine are part of the extensive list of industrialized goods that have additives introduced in them at some point from manufacturing to packaging.
The professor warned that ultra-processed foods are linked to a number of chronic diseases, such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease. She cited the scientific evidence in the research to stress the need for Brazil to pass legislation to keep people aware.
“What we have today is norms that do not necessarily allow consumers to know everything that’s in the food they’re eating. So, when they’re making a choice, they’re not being provided with the full information.”
The study was submitted to Brazil’s sanitary watchdog (Anvisa) when it was finished in 2021, but no dialogue was established. Now, she believes that the topic will be brought up for discussion again, joined by society and health professionals.
In a statement, Anvisa argued that the rules for listing food ingredients should be improved, and added that the issue concerns general labeling rules jointly established among Mercosur nations.
