Trans fatty acids in margarines marketed in Brazil: Content, labeling regulations and consumer information

摘要

A set of 46 different trademarks of margarines produced in Brazil by eight different companies was investigated in terms of the national labeling requirements for trans fatty acids (TFA). Experimental measurements of the content of total saturated fatty acids, cis-monounsaturated fatty acids, cis-poly- unsaturated fatty acids and total TFA by gas chromatography showed the reliability of the data listed on the nutrition facts panel, which were used as reference for this analysis. The results revealed that 50% of the manufacturers and 13% of all the investigated trademarks of margarines violated the current Brazilian labeling regulations. A group of 200 consumers categorized by age, sex and years of formal education was also questioned about the importance of nutrition labeling information and TFA. Approximately 33% of the consumers interviewed were not informed about the possible detrimental effects of TFA on human health. Individuals with longer years of formal education and those affected by coronary heart diseases attributed to the intake of TFA were most interested in reading the nutrition labeling.