Comparative analysis of food ingredients and additives declared in packaged foods labelled as homemade and their corresponding traditional culinary recipes.

This cross-sectional study compared ingredients declared on food labels containing the term 'homemade' with those in corresponding traditional recipes, using data from an in-store survey of 7828 food labels collected in a Brazilian supermarket in 2020. Packaged foods labelled as homemade or similar were classified according to NOVA. Equivalent recipes were selected from a Brazilian cookbook. Ingredients and additives were compared between homemade-labelled foods and equivalent recipes using Student's t-test and Wilcoxon's test (p < 0.05). Homemade and/or related expressions were identified in 1.3% of packaged foods, with a mean of 7.8 ingredients (ranging: 2-43), and 53% were ultra-processed. From these, 51 packaged foods with 52 equivalent traditional culinary recipes were selected. These recipes had a mean of 6.8 ingredients (ranging: 3-12), 62% of which were unprocessed or minimally processed. Baking powder was the only additive identified in 23 traditional recipes. Packaged foods contained 53 different additives (median: 1; P25 = 0; P75 = 2; range: 0-10), higher than traditional recipes (p < 0.0001). The most common were preservatives (21%), colours (18%), raising agents (14%), flavourings and flour treatment agents (13.5% each). Although the term homemade suggests simple preparation without additives, our findings reveal the opposite and may inform discussions on its appropriate use on food labels.