Summary:
This law establishes actions to prevent childhood obesity in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, particularly with respect to sale of ultraprocessed foods in schools.
Description:
As part of the efforts to combat childhood obesity, this law seeks to promote healthy environments in public and private schools in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro (Art. 1).
The main innovation of the law is that it provides that it is prohibited to sell or offer ultraprocessed beverages and foods in public and private pre-schools and elementary schools (in Portuguese, “de ensino infantil e fundamental”) (Art. 2). Ultraprocessed foods are defined as those whose manufacture involves several steps, processing techniques and ingredients, many of them exclusively for industrial use, as provided in the Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population [Guia Alimentar Para a População Brasileira do Ministério da Saúde] (Art. 3).
Failure to comply with the law will lead to a notification, followed by a warning, followed by a fine of 1500 reais for every day that the violation takes place. The funds collected from the fines will be used to finance programs aimed at combating youth food insecurity and childhood obesity (Art. 4).