Labeling of packaged foods in Brazil: Use of terms such as homemade, traditional, and the like

ABSTRACT Objective The study aimed to shed light on the use of the terms “homemade”, “traditional”, and other similar terms in the front-of-pack labels of industrialized foods. Methods Labels of all packaged foods products (n=5,506) available for sale in a Brazilian supermarket were analyzed. The analysis verified the relative and absolute frequency of terms according to the similarity of expressions and semantics by food groups according to Brazilian regulation (nº 359/2003). A chi-square test identified differences in the total food terms with terms between food groups (.<0.001). Results Of all foods analyzed, 14.1% (n=778) presented the target terms. On the analyzed labels, the age of the brand or product was found more frequently (58.1%, n=495), followed by the terms “traditional” (20.1%, n=175) and “original” (11.0%, n=94). The groups that presented the highest relative frequency were groups I (baking goods) and II (canned vegetables), both with 21.4%. Conclusion The study confirmed the commercialization of packaged foods with terms that refer to a traditional and homemade production with different connotations. The information contained in the labels should be clear and correct to ensure that the consumer can make informed choices. The findings indicate the importance of investigating consumers’ perception of the presence of these terms on labels and clarifying the composition of these foods.

摘要
研究目的：本研究旨在厘清工业化食品包装正面标签中“自制”“传统”及其他同类表述的使用情况。
研究方法：本研究分析了巴西某超市在售的全部预包装食品标签（n=5506）。依据巴西第359/2003号法规的食品分类标准，按照表达与语义相似度，统计各类表述的绝对与相对出现频次；通过卡方检验分析不同食品类别间标签表述的总体差异（P<0.001）。
研究结果：本次分析的全部食品中，14.1%（n=778）带有目标表述标签。在所分析的标签中，“品牌/产品年代久远”类表述出现频次最高（58.1%，n=495），其次为“传统”（20.1%，n=175）与“原创”（11.0%，n=94）两类表述。相对出现频次最高的食品类别为第I类（烘焙食品）与第II类（罐装蔬菜），二者占比均为21.4%。
研究结论：本研究证实，预包装食品的商业化标签中存在带有传统、自制生产内涵的各类表述。标签所承载的信息应当清晰且准确，以保障消费者能够做出知情选择。本研究结果表明，探究消费者对标签中此类表述的认知，并厘清这类食品的实际成分，具有重要意义。