Ultra-processed food and beverage advertising on Brazilian television by International Network for Food and Obesity/Non-Communicable Diseases Research, Monitoring and Action Support benchmark

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the extent and nature of food and beverage advertising on the three major Brazilian free-to-air television (TV) channels. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. A protocol developed for the International Network for Food and Obesity/Non-Communicable Diseases Research, Monitoring and Action Support was applied for data collection. A total of 432 h of TV programming was recorded from 06.00 to 24.00 hours, for eight non-consecutive and randomly selected days, in April 2018. All TV advertisements (ads) were analysed, and food-related ads were classified according to the NOVA classification system. Descriptive analyses were used to describe the number and type of ads, food categories and the distribution of ads throughout the day and time of the day. SETTING: The three most popular free-to-air channels on Brazilian TV. PARTICIPANTS: The study did not involve human subjects. RESULTS: In total, 14·2 % (n 1156 out of 7991) of ads were food related (858 were specific food items). Approximately 91 % of food items ads included ultra-processed food (UPF) products. The top three most promoted products were soft drinks, alcoholic beverages and fast-food meals. Alcoholic beverage ads were more frequently broadcast in the evening. CONCLUSION: The high risk of exposure of the Brazilian population to UPF ads should be considered a public health concern given the impact of unhealthy food advertising on people’s food choices and health.