The Coordination of Behavioral Sciences in Government (CINCO in Portuguese) has just published the report on the diagnostic phase of the project “Promotion of Healthy Eating: Behavioral Interventions at Points of Sale,” an initiative that brings together experts and partner institutions to address one of the country’s main public health challenges: the high consumption of ultra-processed foods to the detriment of fresh and minimally processed foods.

The project, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Development and Assistance, Family and Fight Against Hunger (MDS), the National Cancer Institute (INCA), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Virginia Tech University, and the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, aims to understand and influence eating behaviors based on scientific evidence from behavioral sciences, contributing to the prevention of obesity and chronic diseases, such as cancer.

Legislative Decree Bill (PDL) 18/24, currently pending in the Chamber of Deputies, suspends the government decree establishing guidelines for healthy eating in schools. The suspension was requested by Congresswoman Roberta Roma (PL-BA), who points out a number of problems with the law.

The deputy considers that Decree 11.821/23 adopts scientifically questionable concepts and defames the food and beverage industry, with serious economic and food safety consequences.

Degree of processing

The deputy especially criticizes the use of the new classification, which groups foods according to their degree of processing. The decree limits the display and sale of ultra-processed foods in schools, such as filled cookies and soft drinks.

According to Roberta, the classification contradicts the opinion of representatives from the areas of food research and science, who consider it wrong to classify the quality of an industrialized product according to its degree of processing.

“After all, there is no such thing as good or bad food, only an unbalanced diet,” says the congresswoman. According to her, “the level of processing to which food and beverages are subjected does not determine the nutritional content of the final product”.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) presented today the community initiative “For Healthier Families”, which contains a series of evidence-based recommendations to promote food practices that contribute to the health, nutrition and well-being of families.