Analysis of ultraprocessed, frozen and ready-to-eat foods labels: nutritional composition and presence of food additives/ANALISE DE ROTULOS DE ALIMENTOS ULTRAPROCESSADOS, CONGELADOS E PRONTOS PARA O CONSUMO: COMPOSICAO NUTRICIONAL E PRESENCA DE ADITIVOS ALIMENTARES

Due to the growth in the availability of ultra-processed foods on the market and the potential damage to human health, caused by their consumption, this study aimed to assess the caloric value and nutritional composition of these foods. The study was a descriptive-observational type with a cross-sectional cut. The following data were collected from the labels of salted preparations, frozen ready for consumption: caloric value and proximate composition of carbohydrate, protein, total fats, saturated and trans, dietary fiber and sodium. The types of food additives present were checked and allowed for the product category analyzed. After performing the Kolmogorov-Smirnova normality test, the samples were described according to the median, maximum minimum. Categorical variables were expressed as absolute and relative frequency. Data were collected from 231 labels, distributed in 7 groups: pizzas; cheese breads; salted; ready-made dishes; breaded; lasagna, macaroni and cheese, puff pastry and pasta; and sandwiches. In macronutrients, the groups that obtained the highest values were, respectively, cheese breads and sandwiches. The analyzed labels showed high caloric value, large amounts of sodium and a small amount of fibers. 104 additives were identified in the list of ingredients, belonging to 13 functional classes, all in accordance with current legislation. Food and nutrition education strategies are necessary in order to reinforce the importance of reducing the consumption of ultra-processed foods and increasing the consumption of fresh and minimally processed foods in order to reduce risks of harmful health effects. Key words: Food Additives. Industrialized Foods. Food Composition. Nutritional Labeling. Devido ao crescimento na disponibilidade de alimentos ultraprocessados no mercado e ao potencial prejuizo a saude humana, causado pelo seu consumo, este estudo objetivou avaliar o valor calorico e a composicao nutricional destes alimentos. O estudo foi do tipo descritivo-observacional com corte do tipo transversal. Foram coletados dos rotulos de preparacoes salgadas, congeladas prontas para o consumo, os seguintes dados: valor calorico e composicao centesimal de carboidrato, proteina, gorduras totais, saturada e trans, fibra alimentar e sodio. Foi realizada a verificacao dos tipos de aditivos alimentares presentes e se eles sao permitidos para a categoria de produtos analisados. Apos realizacao do teste de normalidade Kolmogorov-Smirnova as amostras foram d