Rotulagem de leite UHT: instrumento de promoção e proteção da saúde

Abstract

The label is defined as any inscription, image or caption placed on the packaging of a product, which constitutes a means of interlocution with the consumer. Labeling of food is considered an important tool in promoting and protecting public health, as it allows consumers to make choices in different aspects according to their needs. In this sense, UHT milk deserves to be highlighted for its nutritional role, its versatility of brands and products, and the market diffusion and the high consumption by different age groups and social classes in the Brazilian population. The objective of the work was to evaluate the adequacy of UHT milk labels to the Brazilian food labeling legislation and to propose evaluation methodologies for terms described and without clarified criteria. For the evaluation, a checklist was prepared with 97 questions distributed over 16 topics contained in 16 documents of the food labeling legislation. In addition, a methodology was developed to evaluate the described and unclear terms of the labeling legislation. Sixty packs of 20 brands were analyzed, collected for convenience in supermarkets in Juiz de Fora - MG, between 2017 and 2019. It was observed that 96.7% of the labels evaluated presented some non-conformity for the topics identification of origin (61.7 %), denomination of sale (55%), important notices in the marketing of food for children (41.7%), registration identification (33.3%), serving and nutrient information (26.7%), list of ingredients (20%), complementary nutritional information (7.7%), conservation and use of the product (6.7%), declaration of the presence of lactose (2.1%) and net contents declaration (1.7%). The main problems observed in UHT milk labels were the absence of e-mail and toll-free telephone (61.7%); incorrect registration stamp size (33.3%); absence of information on the percentage of fat (31.7%); error in the calculation of nutritional information (21.7%); presence of information that may induce the use of the product (18.3%); presentation of prohibited additives (14.3%). The preliminary analysis of the terms described and not clarified in the UHT milk labeling legislation, such as “legibility; visibility; easy viewing; information clearly; easy to read; color contrast; bold; declaration placed near or close to; followed, after or below the declaration”, allowed the observation of irregularities in different aspects. The main of irregularities were the lack of proportion of letters, words, dashes and lines; the use of capital letters in long sentences; the absence of contrast between the letter and the bottom of the label, which impairs the legibility of UHT milk labels. In addition, changes in the spatial orientation of texts referring to the same subject were observed, which should be declaration placed near to information nutritional complementary, which makes it difficult for the reader to understand the information. In view of the non-conformities, it is concluded that it is necessary to consolidate the legislation in a single document, further clarification of the some terms present in the legislation, establishment of evaluation criteria, in addition to expanding the inspection of UHT milk labeling to ensure compliance with the standards information and health of consumers of that food.