Brazil

Project and Country Background

Brazil has a population of 209 million people; 14.5 percent of the adult population and 5.4 percent of the youth population smoke cigarettes.1 An estimated 167,657 people in Brazil die each year from diseases caused by smoking.2

TPackSS partnered with in-country collaborators to purchase cigarettes in three major cities: São Paulo, Manaus and Salvador. Within each city, packs were collected from a sample of 12 economically and socially diverse neighborhoods. Data collectors purchased one of every unique cigarette pack available from vendors selected in each neighborhood. From January 14 to January 25, 2013, data collectors purchased 130 unique cigarette packs. Then from March 28 to April 8, 2016, data collectors purchased 148 unique cigarette packs. From September 23 to October 4, 2019, data collectors purchased 174 unique tobacco products.

The tobacco packaging and labeling requirements in effect at the time of data collection were used to assess each tobacco pack’s compliance with the requirements.  

Suggested Citation for Information on this Page: Tobacco Pack Surveillance System (TPackSS). Brazil: Project and Country Background. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. http://globaltobaccocontrol.org/tpackss/country/brazil [Insert Last Updated Date].

Packaging is advertising in Brazil, even with all the marketing restrictions that exist for tobacco products, we still have one 'face' of the pack fully available for industry marketing. Our warning labels only cover one of the faces, so the industry has clearly been investing in packaging design to promote their products.
Paula Johns
ACTbr Executive Director

Browse packs from Brazil

Highlights of Packaging and Labeling Requirements by Data Collection Year

Data collection dates Type of warning Warning label size and layout Number of warnings to be displayed Rotation Rules for misleading descriptors Other warning label requirements considered during coding

Jan. 14 to Jan. 25, 2013

[130 unique packs collected]

Picture and Text
100% of back (picture), 100% of one side (text)

10

All labels displayed concurrently and are intended to be changed every 5 months

Some restrictions

Warnings may not be placed where they may be concealed by tax stamps or other required markings. Warning text in white on a black background. Statement on toxic substance and nicotine must appear along ¾ the length of the cigarette pack and occupy the entire width of one of the sides of the pack.

Mar. 28 to Apr. 8, 2016

[148 unique packs collected]

Picture and Text
30% of front (text), 100% of back (picture), 100% of one side (text)

9

All labels displayed concurrently and are intended to be changed every 5 months

Some restrictions

Warnings may not be placed where they may be concealed by tax stamps or other required markings. Warning on the lower portion of the front and back of pack. Warning text: white on a black background; front text all upper case. Statement on toxic substance and nicotine must appear along ¾ the length of the cigarette pack and occupy the entire width of one of the sides of the pack.

Sep. 23 to Oct. 4, 2019 [176 unique packs collected]

Picture and Text
30% of front (text), 100% of back (picture), 100% of one side (text)

9

All labels displayed concurrently and are intended to be changed every 5 months

Some restrictions

Warnings may not be placed where they may be concealed by tax stamps or other required markings; Statement on toxic substance and nicotine must appear along ¾ the length of the cigarette pack and occupy the entire width of one of the sides of the pack

Tobacco packaging and labeling in Brazil is currently regulated under Law No. 9.294 (July 16, 1996). Law No. 9.294 has been amended several times—in 2000 by Law No. 10.167, in 2001 by Provisional Measure No. 2.190-34 and in 2003 by Law No. 10.702. Additionally, multiple regulations or resolutions govern Law No. 9.294. Those resolutions that apply to tobacco packaging and labeling include Resolution ANVISA RDC No. 46 (March 28, 2001) (amended by Resolution ANVISA RDC No. 335 in 2003), Resolution ANVISA RDC No. 54 (August 6, 2008), Resolution ANVISA RDC No. 14, Resolution ANVISA RDC No. 30 (May 23, 2013) and Resolution ANVISA RDC No. 14 (April 10, 2015). These resolutions mandate new front text warnings and new back pictorial warnings. Other requirements include that all tobacco packaging contain a message on descriptive constituents and emissions. Further, the law prohibits the use of misleading descriptors, such as light, soft, mild and other similar terms on all tobacco packaging. 3

  1. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, Country profile Brazil. (2017). Retrieved October 25, 2018

    from http://www.who.int/tobacco/surveillance/policy/country_profile/bra.pdf?ua=1.

  2. Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 (GBD 2017) Results by Location, Cause, and Risk Factor. Retrieved November 29, 2018

    from http://ihmeuw.org/4noa.

  3. Packaging laws were retrieved from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Tobacco Control Laws Country Details for Brazil: Packaging and Labeling. (2015). Retrieved April 21, 2016 

    from http://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/legislation/country/brazil/pl-health-warnings.