By Decree 151/2022, published today in the Official Gazette, the Regulation of Law No. 27,642 on the Promotion of Healthy Food has been approved, which empowers the population in the choice of food products through the implementation of frontal labeling of warnings about ingredients . High in sugars, total fat, saturated fat, calories and sodium.
In this way, through the seals on the packaging, consumers will have simple, clear, accurate and non-misleading information that allows them to choose and buy with knowledge about the food product.
The way to highlight information with the presence of additional nutrients would be with a black background and an octagonal symbol with a white border and inside it you would read the text “Additional”, followed by sugars, total fat, saturated fat, calories and sodium. A stamp will be placed for the excess of each important nutrient.
In the event that the product contains sweeteners, the container should have the following legend under the warning seals: “Contains sweeteners, not recommended for children”. In terms of having caffeine, the legend would be: “Contains caffeine. Abstain in children.
For optimizing containers, in the first phase, companies will have nine months from the date of enactment of the law and fifteen months for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The possibility of extension of this period shall be assessed in accordance with the provisions of the regulations and for the first phase only. For another, a period not exceeding 18 months from the entry into force of the law for companies and 24 months for SMEs has not been established.
The nation’s Ministry of Health will be the law enforcement authority that allows the regulation of the advertising of non-alcoholic foods and beverages directed at children and adolescents, including in the mass media, packaging with a warning seal. As well as in the promotion and sponsorship of those products.
In addition, it provides for the inclusion of nutritional food education in schools to contribute to the development of healthy eating habits and to warn about the potentially harmful effects of unhealthy eating.
To achieve this regulation, work was done jointly between the ministries of national productive development, education, social development, agriculture, livestock and fisheries, along with PAHO, UNICEF and non-governmental organizations.
In this sense, a new meeting was held yesterday at the Headquarters of the National Department of Health to obtain regulation between more than 20 ministry officials and representatives of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), UNICEF and civil society was. organization.
During the meeting, members of the National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT) detailed the updates being made to the Federal Information System for Food Control Management (SIFEGA) to monitor the composition of food. The development of a graphic system of warnings on packaging and a virtual calculator that would allow measuring how many warning seals the products would have according to the stage of implementation in which the law is found.
Similarly, the support provided by the Ministry of Producer Development and the commitment to accompany them in the process of improvement in the production of packaged food and non-alcoholic beverages to improve nutritional quality was highlighted.
In relation to the policy of healthy school environment, work is being done in coordination with the Ministry of Education and the Federal Council of Education. In addition, the National Health Portfolio’s National Healthy Food Program is running training sessions on food education, which involved more than 2,500 teachers in each group.
