This study examined how Brazilian schoolchildren identified, classified, and labeled foods and beverages. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 133 schoolchildren aged 7 to 10 years old from a public school located in southern Brazil in 2015. A set of cards with pictures of 32 food and beverage items from the web-based Food Intake and Physical Activity of Schoolchildren tool (Web-CAAFE) were used. Participants identified each item, formed groups for them based on similarity, and assigned labels for those groups. Student’s t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were used to verify the mean difference between the groups of items. K-means cluster analysis was applied to identify similar clusters. Schoolchildren made an average of 9.1 piles of foods and beverages that they thought were similar (±2.4) with 3.0 cards (±1.8) each. Five groups were identified: meats, snacks and pasta, sweets, milk and dairy products, and fruits and vegetables. The most frequently used nomenclature for labeling groups was taxonomic-professional (47.4%), followed by the specific food item name (16.4%), do not know/not sure (13.3%), and evaluative (health perception) (8.8%). The taxonomic-professional category could be applied to promote improvements in the identification process of food and beverage items by children in self-reported computerized dietary questionnaires.
Month: January 2023
Article – The influence of Chile’s food labelingand advertising law and other factors on dietaryand physical activity behavior of elementarystudents in a peripheral region: a qualitative study
In 2016, Chile implemented the Food Labeling and Advertising Law to fight childhood obesity through front-of-package food labelling, marketing restrictions and school activities and programs. Nevertheless, little is known on its influence on key stakeholders in vulnerable peripheral regions of the country. This study aimed at identifying important influencing factors including the Food Labeling and Advertising Law on dietary habits and physical activity patterns of second graders in Chile, as perceived by school representatives and the children themselves.
Mexico – Supreme Court indefinitely postpones ruling on amparos against nutritional labeling of foods
The Supreme Court of Justice postponed indefinitely clarifying whether the new nutritional labeling with warning seals, implemented as of 2020, and challenged by the food and beverage industry, is Constitutional.
The Second Chamber of the Court agreed yesterday to send to the Plenary of the court for final resolution three amparos promoted by the companies Herdez, Del Monte, McCormick de México, Santa Clara and Desde el Corazón del Fruto, which question both the 2019 reform to the General Health Law (LGS) to require labeling on the front of the products, and the changes to the Mexican Official Standard (NOM) that imposed the system of seals.
Ministers Yasmín Esquivel and Alberto Pérez Dayan presented projects that deny the amparos to the companies, so that, in the Chamber, only an additional vote was necessary to approve such proposals.
However, Court sources informed that, in the private session, there were important objections against the projects.
Now, in the Plenary, the vote of four other justices, in addition to Esquivel and Pérez Dayan, will be needed to deny the amparos.
However, once they are sent to the Plenary, the President of the Court, Norma Piña, is the one who will determine the priority that will be given to these matters, which could be voted on this month, six months or a year from now.
The bills argue that the government’s measures are proportional, necessary, appropriate, fulfill a constitutionally valid purpose and do not violate the right to freedom of trade.
Peru – INACAL promotes the application of the Peruvian Technical Standard “NTP 712.009:2021” on hygiene practices in collective food services
The National Quality Institute (INACAL in Spanish) of the Ministry of Production promotes the application of the Peruvian Technical Standard “NTP 712.009:2021”, which contains the requirements of good hygiene practices for the handling of raw, precooked and cooked food intended for establishments that provide collective food services.
This technical document, which seeks to improve the quality of the food industry in Peru, provides guidance and guidelines to restaurants, concessionaires, small-medium industry and entrepreneurs dedicated to providing food services to companies, schools, universities, prisons or similar institutions.
Argentina – ANMAT publishes new fees for food and dietary supplement procedures
Through Provision No. 10041/2022 the National Administration of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT in Spanish) published the new amounts of the tariffs for procedures related to food products, dietary supplements, food for specific medical purposes, establishments, packaging, import/export, laboratory analysis, authentications and federal network of laboratories.
infoAlimentario 