Were policies in Brazil effective to reducing trans fat from industrial origin in foods?

Flávia Da Silva Lima Dias,Mário Ferreira Lima,Maria Das Graças Tavares Do Carmo,Fátima Lúcia De Carvalho Sardinha,Patricia Coelho De Velasco,Rosana Salles-Costa

doi:10.11606/s1518-8787.2018052000292

Flávia Da Silva Lima Dias, Mário Ferreira Lima + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2018052000292

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Abstract

ABSTRACTOBJECTIVE To determine the trans fatty acids content of processed foods frequently consumed by adults living in a Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, after the enactment of a mandatory trans fatty acids labelling policy.METHODS Between February 2014 and January 2015, a specifically dietary questionnaire was completed by 107 adults to assess the frequency of processed foods consumption. The most commonly consumed products from the survey, including vegetable oils, margarine, biscuits, snacks, cheese bread (pão de queijo), french fries, cheeseburger and ice cream, were then analyzed for their trans fatty acids content using gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector.RESULTS Differences in the levels of trans fatty acids were observed among 22 products analyzed, considering that trans fatty acids content ranged between 0.0 g/100 g in samples of cream cracker biscuit 1 and olive oil to 0.83 g/100 g in samples of cheeseburger (fast food), 0.51 g/100 g in samples of frozen pão de queijo and 12.92 g/100 g in samples of chocolate sandwich cookies with cream filling 2. The overall trans fatty acids content of the different samples of margarine brands was 0.20 g/100 g for brand 1 and 0.0 g/100 g for brand 2. These data are significantly lower than those observed in a survey conducted in 2003, when the regulation had been enacted.CONCLUSIONS Our data indicate that Brazilian regulation is very likely implicated in the observed drop in trans fatty acids of the most processed foods but has yet to eliminate them, which reinforces the urgent need to revise the legislation, since a minimum amount of trans fat does not mean that the food product does not contain this type of fat.

Highlights

Trans fatty acids (TFA) refer to a group of unsaturated fatty acids that contain one or more double bonds in a trans geometric configuration[17]
Our data indicate that Brazilian regulation is very likely implicated in the observed drop in trans fatty acids of the most processed foods but has yet to eliminate them, which reinforces the urgent need to revise the legislation, since a minimum amount of trans fat does not mean that the food product does not contain this type of fat
The main findings of this cross-sectional study show that there was a drop in TFA content of processed foods frequently consumed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that coincided with labelling regulation employed in 2003 by the ANVISA

Summary

Introduction

Trans fatty acids (TFA) refer to a group of unsaturated fatty acids that contain one or more double bonds in a trans geometric configuration[17]. They are present in meat and dairy products as a by-product of fermentation in ruminant animals and in vegetable fats because of partial hydrogenation of the oils containing polyunsaturated fats[11]. The elimination from the food supply of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils containing TFA derived from industrial processes has been considered a very efficient action in the public health area in order to improve population diet and reduce the risk of chronic diseases[9,22]

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