The deadline for adapting the packaging of food products with data on high salt, saturated fat and sugar content on the labels ended at the end of April. The rule came into effect last year, but the deadline for changing new packaging had been extended and stock produced before the rule could still be sold until October.
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Greater awareness about food
According to experts, with the new rule the nutrient table is more accessible on the packaging and with more complete information. The table already existed before, but now it must be presented with a white background and black letters, in addition to having a minimum size for the font of the letters, so that it has more visibility.
Another important change to the table is the addition of information about sugar, which did not exist before. It also provides information in grams and not just per portion, which means that people can compare any type of product and any category without having to make calculations for the comparison.
But perhaps the biggest innovation of the changes is the magnifying glass, a mechanism that brings information about the high content of nutrients that can be harmful to health, such as saturated fat and added sugar, to the front of the packaging.
For Ana Paula Bortoletto, researcher at the Center for Epidemiological Research in Nutrition and Health at the Faculty of Public Health at USP, the greater emphasis given to information that is relevant to health, the more people end up becoming accustomed to using this information into consideration in their food choice.
This requires other policies that are complementary to this greater awareness about food. Therefore, we understand that the label is one of the actions, as it brings this information more prominently. But compared to other countries, such as Mexico or Chile, the emphasis is still not adequate. The emphasis in other countries is greater and the symbol has more monitored nutrients.
Ana Paula Bortoletto, researcher at USP
Importance of other actions
- Experts advocate the adoption of more coordinated actions.
- For example, measures linked to the school curriculum, targeting children, who assimilate this information more efficiently.
- The state health and education infrastructure must also mobilize to reach more people, with advertisements in UBS and greater attention to the importance of healthier eating.
- The information is from Jornal da USP.
Tags: label rule encourages healthy eating
