Impact of new food labeling on the nutritional profile of gluten-free bread sold in Brazil

• Grant number: 23/12541-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2024
• End date: December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: Vanessa Dias Capriles
• Grantee: Emily Pinheiro dos Santos
• Host Institution: Instituto de Saúde e Sociedade (ISS). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Baixada Santista. Santos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/06643-7 - Innovative approaches to improve the nutritional quality of gluten-free bakery products, and assessment of their potential health benefits from in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies, AP.JP2

Abstract

Brazil is implementing new food labeling that aims to improve consumers' understanding of nutritional information on packaged foods to promote healthier food choices. Among these, the RDC 429/2020 stands out, which implements changes in nutritional labeling and establishes the front-of-package (FOP) labelling policy with warning labeling for foods that exceed the established limits for sodium, saturated fat and added sugars, and the RDC nº 712/2022, which establishes the composition and labeling requirements of foods containing cereals and pseudocereals for claim as whole grains. The implementation of these rules also raises expectations regarding the reformulation of packaged products. Therefore, this project aims to evaluate the impact of these new labeling regulations on the nutritional profile of gluten-free bread sold in Brazil. This project will help in the construction of the Brazilian Bank of Gluten-Free Food Labels, developed by the Food Labeling Observatory - Unifesp. Therefore, food labeling information, including photographic, will be collect at different foods point of sale. The database already contains the baseline information, and it is necessary to collect and enter the information after the FOP labelling policy. By comparing the results in these two collection moments, it will be possible to evaluate the impact of these food labeling rules on the nutrition facts, the ingredients list and nutritional claims, making it possible to verify the occurrence of reformulation, as well as the use of FOP, and the declaration and percentage of whole grains present in the formulations. This study will allow to diagnose the nutritional profile of gluten-free bread available on the Brazilian market and create conditions for frequent monitoring. Besides, will provide subsidies to support the research group in patent applications and technology transfer actions, as well as in outlining strategies for the development of gluten-free bread with better nutritional composition than those available on the market.