Sugar, salt and fat: warning on the label will be mandatory – 10/09/2023 – Market

The new phase of “Lupa”, the nutritional labeling standard for food products, comes into effect this Tuesday (10). From that date on, any processed food will have to indicate on the label whether it has a high level of added sugar, sodium or saturated fats.

The second phase of the rule created by Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) comes into force 12 months after coming into force. In the first year of the standard, the seal was mandatory for new products entering the market from October 10, 2022.

The second year of the rule extends the obligation to most items found on the shelves of large supermarket chains. The exceptions are those made by small companies or agro-industries and non-alcoholic drinks.

Lupa’s rules were published in 2020, through resolution 429 and normative instruction 75. According to Anvisa, the objective is to “improve the clarity and legibility of food labels and, thus, help consumers make more conscious food choices “.

Abimapi (Brazilian Association of Biscuit, Pasta and Industrialized Bread & Cake Industries) said in a statement that it supports initiatives that aim to improve transparency in the nutritional information present on food labels.

Do products tend to be healthier after the Magnifier?

“The minimum quantity established by Anvisa for each nutrient, which requires front labeling, is quite high. This means that foods that contain considered excessive amounts of free sugar, saturated fat and sodium may not be covered by front labeling”, stated Luisa Gazola , researcher at Nupens (Nucleus for Epidemiological Research in Nutrition and Health) at USP.

The expert said that, even before Lupa, it was possible to observe that some foods, such as diet chocolates (without added sugar), could contain more fat and sodium than the traditional version.

“According to the Food Guide for the Brazilian Population, fresh and minimally processed foods should be the basis of the diet, and ultra-processed foods, which contain critical ingredients [como os indicados na Lupa] and cosmetic food additives, should be avoided”, said Mariana Ribeiro, nutritionist at the Healthy and Sustainable Eating program at Idec (Brazilian Institute for Consumer Protection).

Anvisa informed that, after the Lupa phases are consolidated, it will analyze whether companies are replacing sugar with sweeteners, sweetening substances, in order to not insert the magnifying glass on the label.

The objective, according to the agency, is to verify whether the reformulation of foods, carried out in response to the labeling rule, would result in exposure above that considered safe due to the replacement of added sugar with sweeteners.

Anvisa informs that, to arrive at the current parameters that require the alert, it analyzed models from more than 40 countries. “We are still within the transition and implementation period of the standard.”

“Nutrition labeling can generate a reduction movement. We know that Anvisa will carry out an assessment of the regulatory result in about two years. We are preparing for this, including in terms of accountability. Sweeteners are not harmful to health and are safe”, said Alexandre Novachi, director of Abia (Brazilian Food Industry Association).

“About added sugar, it depends on each category. In some, it does not have the function of sweetening. In the case of donuts, for example, it has a technological function, it gives firmness to the product”, he said.

The association states that the industry has been reducing these ingredients since 2006.