RDC 429: Brazil ANVISA Nutrition Labeling Rules
RDC 429 sets Brazil's ANVISA nutrition labeling rules. Learn the magnifier warnings, IN 75/2020 thresholds, nutrition table changes and exemptions.
RDC 429 establishes Brazil's ANVISA nutrition labeling system, including front-of-package magnifier warnings for products high in added sugars, saturated fat or sodium. Instead of the octagons used by some Spanish-speaking neighbors, Brazil uses a black magnifying-glass device, the lupa, on the upper front portion of the package. It reads ALTO EM ("high in") followed by the nutrient.
The system comes from ANVISA resolution RDC 429/2020, with the numeric criteria set in Instrução Normativa IN 75/2020. Both took effect in October 2022, with staged transition periods for products already on the market, category-specific adjustments and longer runways for smaller businesses. The same rulemaking also overhauled Brazil's nutrition table, so compliance is a two-part job.
The three RDC 429 ANVISA magnifier warnings
Brazil's front-of-package system uses three possible warnings:
- ALTO EM AÇÚCAR ADICIONADO: high in added sugar
- ALTO EM GORDURA SATURADA: high in saturated fat
- ALTO EM SÓDIO: high in sodium
When a product exceeds more than one threshold, the warnings combine into a single composite magnifier device listing each nutrient, rather than appearing as separate scattered symbols.
The device is black and white, uses prescribed typography, and must sit on the upper half of the principal display panel where other elements cannot obscure it.
Brazil front of package labeling thresholds in IN 75/2020
The numeric criteria for Brazil front of package labeling are set in IN 75/2020.
| Nutrient | Solids (per 100 g) | Liquids (per 100 ml) |
|---|---|---|
| Added sugars | 15 g or more | 7.5 g or more |
| Saturated fat | 6 g or more | 3 g or more |
| Sodium | 600 mg or more | 300 mg or more |
Two features stand out when you compare Brazil with the PAHO-based systems used in Mexico and Argentina.
First, Brazil's cutoffs are absolute amounts per 100 g or 100 ml, not percentages of energy. That makes the calculation simpler, but it can classify products differently from systems using energy-based criteria.
Second, the sugar criterion targets added sugars specifically. You therefore need an added-sugars figure for the Brazilian market even though it was not a traditional line on older Brazilian labels.
If you already calculate added sugars for the US panel, that work transfers. See our added sugars guide for what counts.
How RDC 429 changed the Brazilian nutrition table
RDC 429/2020 did not only introduce the lupa. It also rewrote the declaration rules for the nutrition table.
The changes include black text on a white background for legibility, declaration per 100 g or 100 ml alongside per-serving values and %VD, and mandatory lines including total and added sugars.
If your Brazilian artwork predates October 2022, assume the table format itself is out of date, not just the front of pack.
The magnifier and nutrition table must also be built from the same nutrient dataset. A mismatch between the front-of-package warning and the values declared in the table is an easy inspection finding.
ANVISA nutrition labeling claims and exemptions
Under ANVISA nutrition labeling rules, a product carrying an ALTO EM warning for a nutrient cannot simultaneously make nutrition claims that contradict the warning message for that nutrient. The rule also restricts claims placement near the magnifier.
Certain categories are exempt from the front-of-pack system, including some unprocessed foods and products where warnings would be nonsensical.
An exemption from the lupa, however, does not exempt the product from the nutrition table rules. Verify your specific category against the resolution text rather than relying on a summary.
RDC 429 compliance workflow for exporters
For an exporter, the practical sequence is straightforward:
- Establish the product's per-100 g or per-100 ml nutrient values, including added sugars.
- Test those values against the IN 75/2020 cutoffs.
- Render the composite magnifier if one or more thresholds are met.
- Generate the updated Brazilian nutrition table from the same nutrient dataset.
- Document the evaluation, including the thresholds tested, nutrient dataset used and date of the assessment.
Because Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Argentina each apply different models to the same recipe, exporters serving several Latin American markets benefit from keeping one source of nutrient data and evaluating it separately for each market.
That is how the NFL generator handles labels across its supported countries. For neighboring systems, see our guides to Mexico's NOM-051 octagons and Chile's Ley 20.606.
Document the evaluation itself, not just the outcome. Importers and inspectors increasingly ask for the calculation memo showing which thresholds were tested, against which nutrient dataset, and on what date.
RDC 429 FAQ
Why did Brazil choose a magnifier instead of an octagon?
ANVISA's consumer research favored an informational device over an alarm-style symbol, positioning the lupa as "drawing attention to" high nutrient content. Functionally, it plays the same role as the octagon systems: a mandatory front-of-package warning tied to defined nutrient thresholds.
Is the RDC 429 threshold test per serving or per 100 g?
It is per 100 g for solids and per 100 ml for liquids. Serving size does not determine whether the magnifier triggers. This means changing the declared serving size does not change whether a product crosses the front-of-package threshold.
My product has natural sugars only. Do I get the sugar lupa?
No, not on that basis alone. The sugar warning is keyed to added sugars. A product whose sugars are entirely intrinsic, such as plain fruit purée with no added sweetener, does not trigger the sugar magnifier. It may still trigger the saturated fat or sodium warnings if those applicable thresholds are met.
What nutrients can trigger Brazil's front-of-package magnifier?
Three nutrients can trigger the magnifier under the system: added sugars, saturated fat and sodium. If a product crosses more than one applicable threshold, the warnings are combined into one composite black-and-white magnifier device that lists each nutrient for which the product is ALTO EM.
Exporting to Brazil? Run your per-100 g values through the free NFL generator to see whether the lupa applies and to render the current ANVISA table format.
