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Questions about the safety of food additives and their consumption have been raised in recent years. The increased exposure to these substances, either by intake of ultra-processed foods or by the broad use and combination of various categories of additives, may be related to higher risks to consumer health. This article comments on the results of a study that quantified and characterized food additives found on the labels of 9,856 packaged foods and beverages available in Brazilian supermarkets. The study adopted a field diary method to record and analyze nonconformities in the lists of ingredients. The objective of this article is to discuss the use of additives identified on the labels and the limitations of Brazilian legislation, which should guarantee the right to information and health.

The growing consumption of ultra-processed foods and beverages has drawn attention to the use of different food additives in these products. The use of these additives for different purposes in food products is permitted under specific legislation. The objective of the present study was to assess the distribution and patterns of occurrence of the different categories of food additives present in packaged foods and beverages sold in Brazil. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted based on data from lists of ingredients used in foods and beverages sold in supermarkets in Brazil, collected by photographing product labels. The number, technological purpose and proportion of food additives in 9856 items (25 groups) were assessed. Exploratory factor analysis was employed to derive the patterns of food additive categories. Linear regression models were used to assess the association between the patterns and food items analyzed. Only 20.6% of the products analyzed contained no food additives, while 24.8% contained ≥6 additives. The use of food additives was high, particularly cosmetic additives, predominantly flavoring agents, colorings and stabilizers. Five patterns of food additive categories were identified and associated with ultra-processed foods and beverages. The results revealed that food additives are highly prevalent in several types of food items sold in the Brazilian market. Also, the same additive category was common to several different food groups, as were specific food additive combinations. This exposure is potentially harmful to human health, given the known deleterious effects associated with the consumption of these substances.

This study aimed at evaluating the ingredients and nutritional information of commercially-available gluten-free bread (GFB) in Brazil. A total of 128 products were studied, of which 87% presented the sandwich loaf shape. Traditional GFBs ( n  = 114) had as main ingredient the refined rice flour and starches, whereas alternative ones ( n  = 14) presented whole rice flour. Raw materials suggested by science to improve nutrients and bioactive compounds of gluten-free foodstuffs were observed in the ingredient list of most products ( n  = 86); however, they were used in lower levels, thus no significant differences were observed for nutritional information between the different categories of GFB. No products with added vitamins or minerals were found, though 77% of them included hydrocolloids in their formulations - other food additives were also observed. Despite the increased gluten-free food market, there is still a gap between science and market, especially regarding the approaches to improve the GFB diversity and nutritional quality.

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the sodium content and additive usage in packaged food products targeted at Brazilian children. Commercial database and manufactures' websites were used to identify major brands of child-oriented foods. Samples were categorized as "children's foods" (n = 214) and "infant's foods" (n = 86). Nutrition Facts labels were used to calculate the median Na content (mg/serving, mg/kcal, and mg/100g); the ingredient lists to note the use of food additives. The sodium content found in samples varied widely among brands. The amount of sodium was high (> 210 mg/serving) in 20% of the products. Sodium density exceeded 1 mg/kcal in 40% of the products with the savory foods had the highest densities. More than 30% of the foods categories (corn snacks, filled biscuits, sliced loaf bread, and cereals) did not fulfill the 2014 sodium reduction targets. Food additives present in all children's foods varied from two to nine additives numbers. However, some products had incredible numbers of additives, such as instant noodles and mini cakes. Although some infants' foods categories were additives free, most products contained up to three numbers of additives. Continuing surveillance is crucial to evaluate the progress of salt reduction and to revise the maximum permissible limit of additives.

A multiresidue method for the determination of 46 pesticides in fruits was validated. Samples were extracted with acidified ethyl acetate, MgSO4 and CH3COONa and cleaned up by dispersive SPE with PSA. The compounds were analysed by GC-FPD, GC-μECD or LC-MS/MS, with LOQs from 1 to 8 μg/kg. The method was used to analyse 238 kaki, cashew apple, guava, and peach fruit and pulp samples, which were also analysed for dithiocarbamates (DTCs) using a spectrophotometric method. Over 70% of the samples were positive, with DTC present in 46.5%, λ-cyhalothrin in 37.1%, and omethoate in 21.8% of the positive samples. GC-MS/MS confirmed the identities of the compounds detected by GC. None of the pesticides found in kaki, cashew apple and guava was authorised for these crops in Brazil. The risk assessment has shown that the cumulative acute intake of organophosphorus or pyrethroid compounds from the consumption of these fruits is unlikely to pose a health risk to consumers., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In Brazil, in the last 20 years, dietary risk assessments have been conducted on pesticides, mycotoxins, food additives, heavy metals (mainly mercury), environmental contaminants (mainly DDT) and acrylamide, a compound formed during food processing. The objectives of this paper were to review these studies, discuss their limitations and uncertainties and identify the most critical chemicals that may pose a health risk to Brazilian consumers. The studies have shown that the cumulative intake of organophosphorus and carbamate pesticides by high consumers of fruits and vegetables may represent a health concern (up to 169% of the ARfD), although the benefits of consuming large portions of those foods most probably overcome the risks. High consumers of maize products may also be at risk due to the presence of fumonisin (355% of the PMTDI), a mycotoxin present at high levels in Brazilian maize. The studies conducted in the Brazilian Amazon have shown that riparian fish consumers are exposed to unsafe levels of mercury. However, this is a more complex issue, as mercury levels in the region are naturally high and the health benefits of a fish-based diet are well known. Studies conducted both in Brazil and internationally on acrylamide have shown that the exposure to this genotoxic compound, mainly from the consumption of French fries and potato chips, is of health concern. Reducing the population dietary exposure to toxic chemicals is a challenge for government authorities and food producers in all countries. Management strategies aimed at decreasing exposure to the critical chemicals identified in this review involve limiting the use or eliminating highly toxic pesticides, implementing good agricultural practices to decrease maize contamination by fumonisins, educating local fish-eating communities toward a fish diet less contaminated by mercury, and changing dietary habits concerning the consumption of fried potatoes, the main processed food containing acrylamide.