EVALUATION OF THE NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF "PLANT-BASED" MEAT ANALOGS FROM THE INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM LABELS

• Grant number: 22/09244-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2022
• End date: October 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Science
• Principal Investigator: Veridiana Vera de Rosso
• Grantee: Grace Fen Ning Chen
• Host Institution: Instituto de Saúde e Sociedade (ISS). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Baixada Santista. Santos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The offer of "plant-based" foods is the biggest novelty on the market at a national and international level with the aim of serving the growing vegetarian, vegan and flexitarian public. Thus, currently, it is possible to find "vegetables" hamburgers, breaded products, meatballs, sausages, meats, fish and chicken with an appearance, texture and flavor that resemble products made with animal protein. Through advertisements or even the perception that the consumer has about "plant based" foods, these products are reputed to be healthy foods.To assess the nutritional quality of these foods, it is necessary to monitor the labels of foods sold in Brazil. Thus, through the Brazilian Food Label Bank, created by the Food Label Observatory - UNIFESP, food labels are collected and analyzed, allowing the monitoring of the nutritional quality of foods sold in Brazil.In this scenario, the present study aims to evaluate the nutritional quality of "plant-based" meat substitute products.First, data will be collected from labels of plant foods that are marketed with the objective of replacing meat, poultry, fish and their derivatives for the construction of the Brazilian Food Label Bank. Checking the presence and amount of saturated fat and sodium, nutrients of interest such as proteins and fibers and the use of complementary nutritional information. The frequency of use of additives and the main sources of vegetable proteins used in the production of these foods will also be evaluated. Subsequently, the use of warning seals will be evaluated, arising from the frontal nutrition labeling regulated by RDC 429/2022, which enters into force in October 2022.In addition, the sales denomination and the illustrations on the labels will be evaluated. Finally, a comparison between plant based and meat products will be carried out, so that an assessment of total and saturated fats and sodium can be carried out.In a second stage, after October 2022, the labels will be collected again and the changes observed as a result of the new legislation will be evaluated.