Análise da rotulagem de alimentos industrializados destinados ao público infantil à luz da proposta de semáforo nutricional

Children are strongly exposed to food marketing and the Traffic light labelling allowed the accessibility and understanding of the information on the labels. The objective of this study was to classify the processed food labels targeted at children, for the amounts of sodium, sugars, fat (total, saturated and trans) and fiber. To this end, product labels presenting abusive advertising features in children and adolescents –as defined by AnvisaNVISA’s RDC no24/2010 and ConandaONANDA’s RDC no163/2014- were collected. The 85 products selected were from different brands in order to enable comparison of the labels and nutrients between the same food group, considering the proposal of Traffic Light Labelling. There were alarming results in the groups of instant noodles and stuffed biscuits regarding the inadequacy of saturated fats, sodium and fiber. The fibers were the nutrients that presented greater amount of red ratings, and trans fats more adjustments (green) in the food groups. As for the sugars, it was not possible to evaluate their presence, as it is not required to present sugars information in Brazil. The products analyzed appear to be nutritionally inappropriate in the context of a healthy diet and their consumption appears as a risk factor to the health of children.