FOOD SAFETY OF SUPPLEMENTS SOLD IN BRAZIL

Introducao: The ingestion of dietary supplements must be health safe. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the food safety from supplements in Brazil. Method: The products were surveyed in 36 of the most relevant websites for selling additives in Brazil. In order to check the legal status of the products and their manufacturers, the Brazilian legislation and the database of Health Ministry were consulted. Results: Among the 3526 additives identified, 63% of these are sold for losing weight and muscle hypertrophy purposes. Among the 3526 products, 68.7% had mandatory registration with Health Ministry, most of them being registered as "food for athletes" (49%, n= 1189). It was observed that 70.7% of the manufacturers of 2425 additives had an illegal status or sold their products in illegal conditions. Among the 100 dietary supplements aimed to weight reduction and muscle hypertrophy, sales leaders through the internet, 40% were sold illegally. All legal products for weight reduction and 22% of the products for muscle hypertrophy were registered in incompatible categories. All websites offered functional foods as phytotherapeutic products and vice versa, and 27% of them sold food products from animal origin as phytotherapeutic products. Among the additives registered as enteral nutrition (n= 91), 45% were sold for aesthetic purposes and for muscle explosion. Conclusion: Additives for muscular hypertrophy and weight reduction may constitute a market trend in Brazil. The government's decision on exempting supplements from the obligatory registry may increase the risks to the consumer's health.