New food labelling rules come into force in Brazil

New food labelling rules came into force in Brazil on Sunday 9 October. According to the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), apart from changes to the nutrient information table, the innovation is the appearance of nutrient information on the front of the packaging. Rede TV!, a partner of the TV BRICS network, writes about this.

One of the changes is that the product ingredients table now has only black letters and a white background. The aim, according to Anvisa, is to eliminate the possibility of bright colors interfering with reading.

Another change will affect the information presented in the table. The declaration of total and added sugars, energy content and nutrients per 100 grams or 100 milliliters is now mandatory to facilitate product comparisons. The number of servings on the package also becomes mandatory.

The table should be located next to the list of ingredients. It cannot be displayed in hidden areas, deformed places or areas with difficulty in visualization, except for products in small packages (labelling area less than 100 square centimeters).

The nutrient content label is now considered an information symbol that must be placed on the front of the package. The idea, according to the agency, is to explain the composition of the product in a clear and simple way.

"To this end, a table was designed to determine the high levels of three nutrients: added sugars, saturated fat and sodium. The symbol should be printed on the front side of the package, in the upper part, as this is an area that is easy to see," Anvisa stressed.