Regulamentação dos teores de ácidos graxos na rotulagem como estratégia de intervenção nutricional

Abstract

This study is a review, with the objective of finding, in scientific literature, research on fats and their health effects, the policies adopted to alert the food industry to reformulate their products and for mandatory notification of dietary trans fatty acids labels. Information was obtained on the basis of Latin American Literature data and Caribbean Health Sciences, ScienceDirect, National Center for Biotechnology Information and Scientific Electronic Library Online, relating to the period 1990-2013. The health problems of the population led to the creation of programs, measures and government interventions to promote safety and quality of food, seeking to stimulate the population to reduce the intake of trans fatty acids and require industries lessened or eliminate these fatty acids from their products, opting for healthier alternatives. In addition, health agencies such as the World Health Organization and Food and Drug Administration began requiring industries to declare the amount of trans fatty acids in nutrition labeling of foods so that consumers were aware of its presence in the product. The labeling is a tool that allows healthy food choice by the population. It was concluded that intervention of government agencies is crucial in the inspection of food manufacturing and labeling requirements in the process, as the habit of reading the label by consumers increased, the consumption of trans fatty acids decreased, demonstrating the effectiveness of regulation as a positive nutritional intervention.