The use of "whole grains" claims is common in grain-based food products marketed in Brazil. Although many products use the "whole grains" claim in their package, only a few present the percentage of whole grains and not all contain whole grains among the ingredients in higher amounts in the products. Additionally, the presence of "whole grains” claims was found in products with high content of critical nutrients, such as total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, free sugar, and sodium, as well as the presence of non-caloric sweeteners (18).
This study found that only a third of the products with a "whole grains" claim had whole grains among the first three components of the list of ingredients, which can mislead consumers when attempting to purchase foods with this characteristic and looking for the health benefits related with it. In addition, these products presented high proportions of refined flour, sugar, saturated and trans fat, which are associated with increased risk of NCDs (16, 18–21).
When comparing the nutrition profile of similar foods with and without "whole grains" claim, we did not find any differences in the prevalence of products with high amounts of critical nutrients according to the PAHO criteria. Bakery products, savory snacks and cookies had the highest prevalence of excess critical nutrients. Cereals and flours and pasta, on the other hand, had the lowest prevalence of excess critical nutrients as these groups are basically composed of in natura or minimally processed foods – which have better nutrition profile comparing with ultra-processed food products and are excluded of the PAHO nutrient profile criteria (16, 22).
Similar studies have been conducted in other countries. In Canada, a study evaluating breads with "whole grains" claims showed that only 54% of the products presented a whole grain cereal as the first component of the list of ingredients. Also, products with "whole grains" claim were significantly higher in energy, total fat and sugars comparing to products without claims (23). In the US, study evaluating breakfast cereals marketed to children with a “whole grains” claim presented higher fat content, but also lower sugar content comparing to products without “whole grains” claim (24).
These findings are of concern as claims referring to specific product characteristics, such as nutrition content and presence of ingredients, can influence dietary choices as consumers tend to perceive the products with claims healthier (9).
In Brazil, complementary nutrition information and reporting of health properties on food labels are regulated by the RDC no 54 and RDC no 18, respectively, but, neither of them includes standards or criteria for the use of "whole grains" claims (25, 26). The only mandatory information that currently allows the identification of whole grains content in food labels is the list of ingredients. However, previous knowledge of the different terms for ‘whole grains’ is necessary for the available information to be correctly understood by the consumers. Also, information on the amount (in grams or percentage) of whole grains is not mandatory in the food label (23).
Regulations about the definition of whole grain, whole grain flour and the use of the “whole grains” claims vary from country to country, with some of them establishing minimum amounts of whole grain that a product must contain to be declared as a whole product. However, in general, all countries have gaps in the legislation. In the US, for example, for breads and pasta to be declared as a whole grain product must be made entirely of whole grain flour, and cannot contain refined flour in its composition. The use of whole grain claims, however, does not require minimum amounts of whole grain flour in the product (27). In the United Kingdom (UK), on the other hand, it is established that breads declared as whole grain or that contain a “whole grains” claim should be composed only by whole grain flour, but there is no definition for that ingredient (28).
In Brazil, considering the absence of definition, composition criteria and labeling standards of whole grain-based food products, the National Health Surveillance Agency (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária - Anvisa) is reviewing the regulation of these products. The agency recognized that the absence of a whole grain definition, the high proportions of refined ingredients in the formulation of whole grain-based foods and the lack of surveillance on the use of "whole grains" claims in package foods are the main causes of the information asymmetry, which can lead to consequences such as inadequate food choices by the consumers (29).
As a solution, Anvisa proposed that grain-based food products with "whole grains" claim should have at least 30% of whole grains. Additionally, the amount of whole grains should be greater than the refined grains (otherwise the claim must be accompanied by the percentage of whole grains in the composition of the product, as well as in the list of ingredients) (29). The regulatory process is still on going in the country and the publication of the whole grain regulation is expected to happen by September 2020.
In addition to improvements on the information related to the content of whole grains in food labels, banning claims on the package of foods with high amounts of critical nutrients should be considered by Health Authorities. This would prohibit products with poor nutrition profile from being marketed with "whole grains" claim, preventing consumers from misinterpreting the quality of the product. Changes in the legislation of food labels in Brazil, however, are still being discussed.
This is the first study that evaluated the use of “whole grains” claims and the nutrition profile of packaged grain-based food products marketed in Brazil. Also, this study stands out because of its sample size and for using the PAHO nutrient profile model, which was developed based on scientific evidence by an Expert Consultation Group specifically for Latin America.
Nonetheless, no laboratory analysis was performed to verify the amount of whole grains in the composition of the products or to check their nutrition content, so the information used is based exclusively on what the companies declare on the food labels. However, the nutrition information from the labels of food products marketed in Brazil has been used without any indication that the percentage of erroneous information is relevant (30–32).