Análise da rotulagem de néctares UHT light comercializados em Barra do Garças - MT

Abstract

The demand for healthier foods has led consumers to a greater search for light and diet products in supermarkets, even juices that have a reduced addition of sugars or that have no added sugar. These products have complementary nutritional information on their labels, which are nothing more than claims, in order to inform the consumer about a nutritional particularity that a certain food has in its composition. As they are products for special purposes, the labeling becomes even more complex, as its preparation contains, in addition to the legislation in force for packaging in general, specific legislation for the claims used. Therefore, this study was developed with the purpose of analyzing the complementary nutritional information present on labels of the UHT light nectars sold in supermarkets in Barra do Garças - MT according to the specific Brazilian legislation in force. The work was carried out in a descriptive way, in which the analysis of the conformity of the labels was carried out quantitatively. The samples were collected in six supermarkets in the region, and the current legislation used in the analyzes were: IN nº 75/2020, RDC nº 715/2022, IN nº 03/2018, DECREE nº 6.871/2009 and RDC nº 18/2008. Only 5 packages of UHT light nectars had their labels evaluated, due to the limited variety of these products in local supermarkets. Of the total number of labels examined, 5 units (100%) showed some type of non-compliance with current legislation. Through this research, it was possible to observe the lack of knowledge in food labeling for special purposes, which require complementary nutritional information, meaning that the customer does not know for sure which food he is taking for consumption. Evidencing also that the regulatory bodies need to contribute more effectively with these companies, guiding and inspecting, with the purpose of reducing the cases of errors when applying the labeling of these foods.