Aline Brandão Mariath1,2, Ana Paula Bortoletto Martins3. 1. Chamber of Deputies, Brasília, Brazil. 2. Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. 3. Center for Epidemiological Studies in Health and Nutrition, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess efforts of the Brazilian legislature to regulate ultra-processed food industry practices related to obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases during the first 4 years of the United Nations' Decade of Action on Nutrition. DESIGN: We searched the Chamber of Deputies and Federal Senate internal databases to identify bills under consideration between 2016 and December 2019. Keywords related to the main recommendations of international organisations regarding the regulation of food industry practices were used. Descriptive and content analysis of the bills were carried out. SETTING: Brazilian legislature (Chamber of Deputies and Federal Senate). PARTICIPANTS: None. RESULTS: Eighty-four bills were identified. The most frequently addressed topics were: nutrition labelling (38·1 %), marketing of unhealthy products (30·9 %), availability of unhealthy products (26·2 %) and critical nutrients content (14·3 %). Only 9·5 % of bills have proposed taxation on unhealthy products. No bill was passed during that period; 2·4 % were rejected and 10·7 % archived. Among the bills still under consideration, 52·4 % have not been passed in any Committee. CONCLUSIONS: Although many bills have been introduced, no regulation of ultra-processed food industry practices has been enacted by the Brazilian legislature by 2020. It is likely that no positive impact on population nutrition in Brazil will be achieved by the end of the United Nation's Decade of Action on Nutrition, in 2025 - especially regarding those goals set by the Brazilian government which were supposed to have been achieved by 2019.
OBJECTIVE: To assess efforts of the Brazilian legislature to regulate ultra-processed food industry practices related to obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases during the first 4 years of the United Nations' Decade of Action on Nutrition. DESIGN: We searched the Chamber of Deputies and Federal Senate internal databases to identify bills under consideration between 2016 and December 2019. Keywords related to the main recommendations of international organisations regarding the regulation of food industry practices were used. Descriptive and content analysis of the bills were carried out. SETTING: Brazilian legislature (Chamber of Deputies and Federal Senate). PARTICIPANTS: None. RESULTS: Eighty-four bills were identified. The most frequently addressed topics were: nutrition labelling (38·1 %), marketing of unhealthy products (30·9 %), availability of unhealthy products (26·2 %) and critical nutrients content (14·3 %). Only 9·5 % of bills have proposed taxation on unhealthy products. No bill was passed during that period; 2·4 % were rejected and 10·7 % archived. Among the bills still under consideration, 52·4 % have not been passed in any Committee. CONCLUSIONS: Although many bills have been introduced, no regulation of ultra-processed food industry practices has been enacted by the Brazilian legislature by 2020. It is likely that no positive impact on population nutrition in Brazil will be achieved by the end of the United Nation's Decade of Action on Nutrition, in 2025 - especially regarding those goals set by the Brazilian government which were supposed to have been achieved by 2019.
Entities:
Keywords:
Food policy; Legislation; Non-communicable disease; Public policy
Authors: Patricia Vasconcelos Leitão Moreira; Adélia da Costa Pereira de Arruda Neta; Flávia Emília Leite de Lima Ferreira; Jevuks Matheus de Araújo; Maria Laura da Costa Louzada; Rafaela Lira Formiga Cavalcanti de Lima; Rodrigo Pinheiro de Toledo Vianna; José Moreira da Silva Neto; Zoe Colombet; Martin O'Flaherty Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2022-04-26 Impact factor: 3.006