Abstract:

Abstract Introduction: Ultra-processed foods are industrial formulations that present several food additives in their composition. Food labeling is an important tool for making decisions about these foods. Objective: To analyze usage and knowledge of ultra-processed food labeling by university students. Method: Cross-sectional study using a self-administered electronic questionnaire. The sample consisted of 129 students from a public university in Rio de Janeiro of undergraduate courses in health and other areas. The studied variables related to the usage of ultra-processed food labeling and the knowledge of 12 types of food additives and/or ingredients were described for the population as a whole and stratified by area of undergraduate course. Results: More than half of the individuals reported reading labels. The most read items were: number of calories (40.3%), all information (22.4%) and list of ingredients (17.8%). The main difference between students refers to the knowledge of ingredients and/or additives, being better known by those from the health area. The most well-known additives and/or ingredients were the same: fructose and glucose – health area students: 84.5% (72.5; 91.8) and other areas: 50.7% (39.0; 62.2) – and aspartame – health area students: 65.5% (52.2; 76.7) and other areas: 40.8% (29.9; 52.7). The frequency of health area students that would stop buying food in the presence of some of the additives and/or ingredients studied was higher. Conclusions: We verified a high frequency of students that read labels and, despite knowing a few additives and/or ingredients, their presence influences the students purchase decision. Thus, food labeling is important for food choices.

Keywords: