Mexico – Mexico City Congress granted constitutional status to the right to breastfeeding

/ infoAlimentario

In order to recognize breastfeeding as a human right, promote it and guarantee its exercise, the local Congress approved the ruling on the initiative to amend and add numeral 1, section C of Article 9 of the Political Constitution of Mexico City.

With this legal amendment, the right to breastfeeding is incorporated into the local Magna Carta as a human right, considering both the best interest of the child and the free self-determination of women with respect to their bodies, and establishes that, as a result, secondary legislation must guarantee its full exercise.

For further information, you can access the original source in Spanish

Chile – Regulation on consumer information and advertising of alcoholic beverages approved

/ infoAlimentario

The Ministry of the Interior and Public Security published DECREE No. 91 approving the Regulation on consumer information and advertising of alcoholic beverages. on consumer information and advertising of alcoholic beverages. The Regulation implements the law that modifies the regulations on the on the sale, commercialization and production of alcoholic beverages. The regulation aims to The regulation aims to regulate advertising that encourages the consumption of alcohol; to reverse the consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors; to consumption in minors; to incorporate in the packaging and advertising legends that warn about the negative effects of alcohol in the the negative effects of alcohol on health; to stimulate compliance with the norms of the the rules of Law No. 19,925 on the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages, and to facilitate its control, as modified by Law No. 19,925 on the the control thereof, as amended by Law No. 21,363, which establishes rules on the marketing and advertising of alcoholic beverages
commercialization and advertising of alcoholic beverages, and others indicated.

For further information, you can access the original source in Spanish

23_1808_00_sDescarga

Opinion/ Chile: Our Labeling Law Is a Model but We Need to Go Further

/ infoAlimentario

For Chile to advance towards better health and less obesity, more accountability is needed over the enforcement of existing rules. We also need to do more: establish a “green” card that would allow Chile’s vulnerable populations access to healthy food;  increase physical activity as a requirement in our schools; and raise taxes on harmful products that bear the warning labels.

The greatest pandemic humanity is facing isn’t Covid, it’s obesity. That condition kills around 41 million people annually – 112,000 people a day – through cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and dementia. Forty thousand of those cases are completely avoidable, since they involve young people. In contrast, Covid caused a total of 8 million deaths over a two-year period.  In addition, obesity causes years lost in terms of healthy lives, increases the need for hospital beds, and results in greater public health expenses.

For further information, you can access the original source in Spanish

Article – Industrially produced trans fat and saturated fat contentof food products in Jamaica

/ infoAlimentario

Objective. To estimate industrially produced trans and saturated fatty acid levels in foods within the Jamaican food system. Methods. A total of 308 commonly consumed foods were selected for analysis based on their potential to contain trans fatty acids. Samples were collected from supermarkets, convenience stores, and fast-food restaurants. Official methods of gas chromatography for the analysis of fats were used. The results were expressed as grams of fatty acid per 100 g of food sample and percentage of total fatty acids.

Results. Total fat was found to exceed United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS) limits in 27.3% (n = 84/308) of food samples. About one-third (33.8%; n = 104/308) of commonly consumed foods in Jamaica contained varying levels of industrially produced trans fatty acids, while 7.8% exceeded the Pan American Health Organization limit of 2% of total fat. Industrially produced trans fatty acids were found in food categories such as canned meats, baked goods, cooking oils, condiments, breakfast cereals, desserts, dairy, spreads, snacks, and confectionery. The subcategories coconut oils and burgers had the highest mean content. Canned food, infant food, and pasta categories had no trans fat present. Saturated fats were found in almost all foods. Importantly, 32.5% (n = 100/308) of the foods had saturated fat concentrations higher than the NHS limit of 5 g per 100 g of food. Most of the food items with high levels of industrially produced trans fatty acids also contained high levels of saturated fats.

Conclusions. Food products in Jamaica contain varying levels of fats that exceeded recommendations which support healthy consumption. Further exploration and reformulation efforts are needed to ensure that nutri- tional qualities are improved.

v47e452023Descarga

Argentina – Amendment to the Food Code on the manner of consumption of different species of edible mushrooms

/ infoAlimentario

By means of Joint Resolution 3/2023, Article 1249 bis will be incorporated to the Argentine Food Code, which will be worded as follows: “Article 1249 bis: The species described in Article 1249 shall be consumed according to the following: raw, cooked, cooked minimum 10 minutes, cooked and dried and cooked in vinegar or pickled.

For further information, you can access the original source in Spanish

documentDescarga