Compreensão e impacto na escolha dos consumidores após novas regras para rotulagem nutricional de alimentos

Abstract

The concept of healthy eating is defined as the dietary practice that aligns with both the biological and social aspects of individuals. In today's world, people allocate increasingly less time for meal preparation and consumption, opting for processed foods for convenience. Such products are rich in fats, simple sugars, and sodium, nutrients associated with the development of non-communicable chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, systemic arterial hypertension, and cancer when consumed in excess. To ensure that consumers make informed choices for healthy eating, they should be provided with complete and reliable information about the food, efficient education on healthy eating, and the time and energy to read labels and consider all socio-environmental risks of their choices at the time of purchase. Considering the above, the objective of this study was to assess consumers' understanding of food labeling, particularly the changes in nutritional labeling that came into effect in the year 2022. The first part of the research involved focus group meetings with 36 consumers, divided into three sessions. The script's questions were discussed while participants examined the provided food packaging. The second part of the research involved the administration of a questionnaire distributed through social networks via an electronic form with 106 participants. The results showed that the majority of individuals need more prior knowledge about the definitions to interpret the information. The language of labels remained technical despite being one of the goals of the new legislation, making it challenging for individuals to understand the information. On the other hand, it was observed that changes related to front-of-package labeling were successful, as individuals approved the measure and immediately understood the information provided.