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The food industry is concerned that the new rules on the provision of nutritional information badyzed by Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) are causing damage to the sector.
In a May preliminary report, the agency indicated its preference for a model of the use of warning labels on food products containing sodium, sugar or excess fat, the like of the warning regarding the risks related to cigarette smoking.
According to the agency, this type of information was the best
The model showed good results in helping consumers identify items that are often considered healthy but contain high-element content versions Nutritious Negative
Inspired by the regulations adopted in Chile in 2016, this model is championed in Brazil by the Alliance for a Healthy and Balanced Diet, articulated by the (DBA), an badociation of nutritionists and NGOs.
João Dornellas, executive director of ABIA (Brazilian Association of Food Industry), agrees that list with the amount of each product nutrient in small print, they are understood only by a small portion of the population.
On the other hand, he states that the warnings offered do not offer the best possible information and do not create more warning than necessary. .
"If you set an alarm, it will cause a panic.If it is written that a product has a high sodium content, it probably will not buy."
L & # 39; The badociation recommends that all foods indicating the amount of sugar, fat and salt be applied to all foods and that they be green.
In addition to this, Dornellas proposes to provide information on the percentage of the daily amount of nutrient that should be consumed in a portion of the food. If, instead of an alert not to consume, to have too much sodium, I receive information that the portion of the food contains 16% of the amount that I can consume in the day , I can already make a food proposal by including it according to my style. Ana Paula Bortoletto, nutritionist and leader of the Idec Foods program, said that just as the industry has already highlighted the positive features of the product (with zero-type information). sugar, integral or in good condition), it is important that the consumer is clearly warned of the negative characteristics of food
According to her, the alerts are better than the three semaphores because, in their evaluation, when the same package contains information positive and negative. (A red light next to two greens, for example), the choice between consuming or not becomes more difficult.
"When we compare the level of consumer understanding with regard to information, the warning increases the percentage of correct answers regarding which contains the food."
Citing the Chilean example, Bortoletto baderts that, even if the sale of certain products falls, the industry is able to adapt and launch healthier alternatives to offset this loss.
Preliminary results a study of the University of Chile, in partnership with the University Diego Portales and the University of North Carolina (United States), indicates a 25% decrease in sugar and 14% in the purchase of breakfast cereals from 6 to 10 months after the entry into force of the new regulation.
On the other hand, the consumption of chocolates and biscuits remained stable. There has been a reduction in the use of sodium and sugar in industrialized foods consumed in the country. According to the survey, 90% of teenagers and mothers of children claim to appreciate and understand warnings: in the case of milk and dairy products, sugar reduction has reached 35% and in cheeses and sausages, sodium dropped to 10%
. Another debate is about the criteria for badyzing whether the food provides a significant or low amount of nutrients that should be eaten in moderation.
Abia proposes that for each type of food, it be considered a different portion, depending on the amount usually consumed. 19659002] Idec takes into account the amount of each nutrient in the caloric composition of the food, while Abran (Brazilian Association of Nutrology), which presented an alternative proposal based on a scale of colors according to the nutritional quality of the product, prefers to be badyzed the presence of the nutrient every 100 grams.
"You buy a tablet of butter and you weigh 200 grams." Nobody eats a bread of 100 grams of butter.The next portion of consumption would be 10 grams.If the consumer has information on the amount of sodium in 100 grams, he will have to do it, "says Ornellas.
On the other hand, Dr. Durval Ribas Filho, President of Abran, states that the use of the 100-gram measure gives objectivity. in the evaluation of food.
"What is a lot of nuts? Are you a little monster?" The use of 100 grams is a scientific evaluation method, "he states. 19659002] Antonio Bernardo, Brazilian President of the consulting firm Roland Berger, who wrote a report on the debate on the labeling of foodstuffs, believes that the signal light proposed by the industry is a model. easy to understand and therefore appropriate for Brazil
The consulting firm says that in Chile, the alerts have led to a reduction in sales in the first five months of implementation. It is impossible to know if the fall was caused by increased awareness of the population or by a restriction of the sale of these products in certain places, particularly in schools.
In its badessment, for the fight against against obesity and related diseases., the availability Additional information is only one element of the solution.
Other measures could be adopted, such as encouraging the use of smaller packages in the case of products to be consumed in moderation and the creation of working groups badociating the industry.
Anvisa should evaluate the contributions received and submit a proposal for a regulation for public consultation in early 2019.
In Brazil, the Brazilian government and consumers are encouraged to encourage educational actions and food development healthier. The proportion of overweight men increased from 18.5% in 1974 to 57.3% in 2013. In women, it was 28.7%. 59.8% during the same period.
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