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Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) approved on Wednesday (7) the new rule on nutritional labeling of packaged foods. The measure improves the clarity and legibility of nutrition information on food labels and aims to help consumers make more conscious food choices.
Also read: See five foods that “hide” sugar
“The purpose of this rule is not to impose any choice. It is to enable understanding, respecting the freedom of choice of all the people who live in our territory ”, emphasizes the director of reports Alessandra Bastos, of the Collegiate Council of Anvisa.
“With the new rule, it will be easier for consumers to compare foods and decide what to eat. In addition, the intention is to reduce situations that generate misunderstandings regarding the nutritional composition ”, highlights Thalita Lima, General Manager of Food of the Agency.
The norm establishes changes in the table of nutritional information and the nutritional declarations, and adopts the frontal nutritional labeling.
See changes in food labels
Front nutritional labeling
It’s an information symbol on the front of the product. The idea is to clarify to the consumer, clearly and simply, about the high content of nutrients that are relevant to health.
To do this, a magnifying glass design was developed to identify the high content of three nutrients: added sugars, saturated fat and sodium. The symbol should be applied to the front of the product, at the top, as it is an area easily captured by our eyes.
Nutrition Facts Table
Already known by Brazilian consumers, the nutritional table will undergo changes, such as black letters and a white background. The objective is to rule out the possibility of using contracts that make the information difficult to read.
The identification of total and additional sugars, the declaration of the energy and nutritional value per 100 g or 100 ml, will help to compare products and the number of servings per package.
In addition, the table should, as a rule, be close to the list of ingredients and on a continuous surface, without allowing breakage. It cannot be presented in hidden areas, deformed places, or hard-to-see regions. The exception is for small products (labeling area less than 100 cm²), in which the table can be presented in covered areas, provided they are accessible.
Allegations
Changes were also proposed to the current rules for the declaration of nutritional claims, in order to avoid contradictions with the frontal nutritional labeling.
Deadlines
It is important to clarify that the new standard will be published in the coming days in the Official Gazette (DOU), through a Resolution of the Collegiate Board (RDC) and a Normative Instruction (IN). The rule will take effect 24 months after its publication.
Products that are on the market on the date of entry into force of the standard will also have an adaptation period of 12 months.
However, products that are exclusively intended for industrial processes or food services must be suitable as of the entry into force of the regulation, in order to ensure that manufacturers have access to nutritional information on raw materials and food ingredients used. on your products.
Food manufactured by small businesses, such as family farmers and micro-entrepreneurs, also has an adaptation period, but 24 months after entry into force, totaling 48 months in total. For non-alcoholic beverages in returnable containers, the adequacy cannot exceed 36 months after the entry into force of the resolution.
It should be noted that products manufactured until the end of the adaptation period may be marketed until the end of their validity period.
As the regulations apply to practically all packaged foods, the above deadlines are necessary and appropriate for food companies to make adjustments to their products, as well as for the public sector to organize educational and orientation actions, in addition to structuring the inspection.
