Government eliminates import tax on supplements such as Whey and creatine

The federal government has zeroed import taxes on dietary supplements, such as Whey Protein and creatine, and other sports nutrition items.

The announcement was made by President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) this Friday (19).

“The Federal Government has zeroed import taxes on food supplements, such as Whey Protein, creatine, BCAAs and multivitamins, and various sports nutrition items, in addition to reducing taxes on various other items from 11.2 to 4%, such as dairy proteins and Albumin,” he wrote on his official Twitter account.

Whey protein is a protein supplement for athletes, the name by which it is classified by Anvisa. The food consists of a product based on whey protein – of low molecular weight with high biological value of protein and great absorption capacity.

Whey supplements vary greatly in their concentrations, blends, processing, and biological value. There are basically three classifications for the product: concentrated, isolated and hydrolyzed. Whey concentrate can provide 29 to 89% protein. The isolated form is the purest form, containing about 90% or more of protein in its composition, according to experts.

Hydrolyzate requires more ingredients to be added, which can cause some products to contain maltodextrin as the first ingredient, a slow-absorbing carbohydrate, which can lead to weight gain.

In SP, physical education professional can advise use of supplements

The São Paulo Regional Council of Physical Education (4th Region) recognized that professionals in the sector are trained to “advise, inform and clarify” physical exercise practitioners about the use of dietary supplements. The application of the measure is valid only for the state of São Paulo.

Recognition applies only to supplements that are “exclusively related” to this type of practice, as described in Resolution No. 151published in Official Diary of the Union on the 12th of July.

According to the resolution, the physical education professional with a bachelor’s degree or licensure/bachelor’s degree has the required training to advise, inform and clarify the area of ​​food supplements.

According to the resolution, information and clarifications about dietary supplements require “full technical knowledge of the subject”, and it is up to the professional to have ethical, civil and criminal responsibility regarding the effects of supplements on the health of practitioners.

The text also says that these professionals are prohibited from “providing any advice, information or clarification” about products that use a route of administration other than the oral one, as well as medications or products that include substances in their formula that do not meet the requirements for production and marketing regulated by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa).

“Counseling and encouraging the use of pharmacological ergogenic resources by physical education professionals represents an ethical violation and may constitute a crime against public health”, informs the resolution, informing that it is not part of the attributions of these professionals to propose or plan a diet and food plan.

In this sense, the resolution also says, what can be done by the physical education professional is just to indicate a “qualified professional” for the elaboration of a diet or food plan.

*Published by Ligia Tuon, with information from Agência Brasil