Evaluating Trans-Fatty Acids Labelling in Packaged Foods Sold in Brazil Before and After National Policy Changes

The elimination of industrial trans-fatty acids (i-TFA) is a global public health priority. In Brazil, food regulatory changes were implemented in 2012, limiting the use of TFA-free claims and in 2019, restricting i-TFA content in food. This study analysed i-TFA declarations on labels of packaged foods sold in Brazil in 2010, 2013 and 2020, before, during and after food policy changes.

This repeated cross-sectional study analysed labels of packaged foods from an outlet of a large supermarket chain in Brazil (n = 2327 products in 2010; n = 3176 in 2013, n = 4397 in 2020). The i-TFA terms listed in the ingredient list, content of trans-fatty acids (TFA) declared on nutrition information panels (NIPs), and TFA-free claims were examined. Descriptive and comparative analysis over time were conducted using binary and multinomial logistic regressions.

The percentage of foods containing potential i-TFA ingredients was 50.6% in 2010, 36.4% in 2013 and 28.5% in 2020. Overall, the likelihood that NIPs declared TFA decreased over time (OR: 0.46; 95%CI: 0.40; 0.53, p < 0.001), but this was not consistent across all food groups and years. The likelihood of using TFA-free claims also decreased (OR: 0.12; 95%CI: 0.10; 0.15, p < 0.001) over time. However, in 2020, 24.1% of foods labelled as containing 0 g TFA in their NIPs still listed ingredients that could be sources of i-TFA.

This is the largest study to analyse TFA labelling in Brazil, informing regulatory discussions and offering a basis for assessing compliance with TFA-focused labelling regulations. Our findings suggest that the 2019 regulation on i-TFA restrictions contributed to amplifying and sustaining the impact of the 2012 labelling regulations in reducing i-TFA packaged food sold at the retail level.