Análise da conformidade do comércio de alimentos infantis em websites de fabricantes e supermercados no Brasil

Abstract

Abstract

Objective: To verify the compliance of the marketing of food products for young children and the presence of marketing strategies on the websites of baby food manufacturers and supermarket chains in Brazil. Methods: Cross-sectional study carried out based on the analysis of data on the marketing of food products for young children on four websites of infant food manufacturers and nineteen websites of supermarket chains. Online sales compliance was analyzed as recommended by Law No. 11265/2006 (NBCAL). The main points analyzed were the presence of the warning phrase from the Ministry of Health in a visible and highlighted way for early childhood infant formula, milk and transitional foods, presence of persuasive phrases, pop-ups, illustrations and promotions such as price discount , coupons, gifts and tie-in sales. The verified attributes were categorized and described in absolute and relative frequencies. Results: We verified that in 84% of the supermarkets there were non-conformities according to the NBCAL, the main one being the presence of price discounts without the warning phrases on the products.The food categories that most presented these inconsistencies were transitional foods, including juices, baby food, purees and cereals (4%), milk (3.6%) and follow-up formulas for young children (1.8%). On the manufacturers' websites, the absence of the warning phrase for transitional foods and the use of images of children associated with products that are prohibited was verified. The brand with the highest percentage of non-compliance was Nestlé® in the category of follow-up formulas for infants (60.9%), milk (33.8%) and transitional foods (44.8%). Conclusion: Nonconformities in the marketing of food products for young children are also present in the digital environment, the main one being the price discount in the absence of the warning phrase.

Keywords: Breastfeeding. Infant formulas. Breast-Milk Substitutes. Children's food. Marketing. Food advertising.