Health

Food labels will have to inform lactose and casein

04/04/2016

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If validated, the measure begins to count only from 2019

Food manufacturers need to indicate the presence of lactose and casein (sugar and protein in milk) to the packaging of their products. That's what decided on Wednesday parliamentarians of the House of Representatives, in plenary. As the original design has changed, the text will be forwarded for consideration in the Senate. If validated, the measure begins to count only from 2019. 

The original text had originated in the Commission on Social Affairs (CAS) of the Senate, which was processed in a terminating character in 2014, and only looked lactose. The inclusion of casein was proposed by Deputy Alberto Fraga (DEM-DF), which assessed that this is also an allergenic element. The main justification of the project is to avoid health problems caused by the intake of these substances. 

One concern was the high incidence of lactose intolerance cases in Brazil. Today, Deputy Saguas Moraes (PT-MT), who is a pediatrician, said that intolerance to lactose and casein has developed even in children and that the information on the label is important. Currently, this type of requirement already exists for gluten, a protein present in oats, wheat, barley, malt and rye. 

In the article approved on Wednesday, is also set to ban the use of hydrogenated vegetable fat known as trans fat, the composition of foods for human consumption, domestic or imported. This prohibition does not reach animal foods that contain this type of fat. Among the harmful effects associated with trans fat are increased LDL cholesterol in the blood.

Source: Diario de Pernambuco

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