AVALIAÇÃO DO IMPACTO DA IMPLEMENTAÇÃO DA ROTULAGEM NUTRICIONAL FRONTAL EM BEBIDAS LÁCTEA

Abstract

Front-of-package (FOP) nutritional labeling is used to inform the consumer about the nutritional characteristics of the product, with the aim of preventing frequent excessive consumption of products that may result in obesity and, consequently, predispose to chronic non-communicable diseases (NCD’s). This work addresses issues such as the regulation of nutritional labeling in Brazil, potential impact on food choice, reformulation of products towards healthier options and the possible risk of the "halo effect", in which consumers may make hasty choices based on in isolated nutrients, increasing caloric consumption and contradicting the initial objective of reducing NCD’s. Considering that in 2020, the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) implemented regulations (IN n° 75 of 2020 and RDC n° 429 of 2020) to improve the legibility of labels and influence healthier food choices, this research analyzed the impact of this new labeling on dairy drinks in Rio Verde - GO and region. The results this experimental indicated that volunteers totally or partially agree that FOP and other adaptations can help consumers better understand labels (87.37%), make healthier choices (80.56%), in addition to encouraging preference for products without high content seals (51.52%), promoting healthier foods and reducing NCD’s. It is worth noting that 65.90% of participants completely agreed that the implementation of these seals will help in making conscious food choices, while 74.79% reported that they would stop purchasing a dairy drink with a seal containing a high added sugar content. Conclusively, the work highlights the importance of regulating nutritional labeling, but highlights the need for continued research to evaluate the effects on public health.