Day: 20/02/2022

The Americas – Jamaica: Heart Foundation pressing forward with front-of-package labelling advocacy

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The Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ) has sent a strong message that it is not relenting in its advocacy for front-of-package labelling, particularly the black octagon, which will enable Jamaicans to better understand the nutritional value of ultra-processed foods.

The HFJ’s assertion comes months after Jamaica voted against using the label.

Deborah Chen, executive director of HFJ, said the entity is advocating for this for all ultra-processed, packaged foods — both locally produced and imported.

Situation in the Caribbean 

In the Caribbean, the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) is leading, since 2018, the revision of the (2010) CARICOM Regional Standard for Specification for labelling of pre-packaged foods (CRS 5:2010) to incorporate front-of-package labeling specifications. 

This process is supported by strong regional mandates and has involved extensive consultations through National Mirror Committees with all relevant stakeholders, including industry and commerce. The current CARICOM draft standard meets the highest level of scientific excellence, including the octagon-shaped warning system and a nutrient profile model based on WHO recommendations.

Front-of-package warning labeling (FOPWL) in the Caribbean
For further information, you can access the original source

The Americas – Colombia: Social organizations request the Ministry of Health to implement Law 2021 on healthy eating

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With almost 10,000 signatures collected, the Sweet Poison campaign presented a petition to the Ministry of Health requesting the acceleration of the implementation of Law 2120.
The 2021 Law aims to provide adequate information (Article 5) to consumers on products high in sugar, sodium, calories, fat and other components of ultra-processed foods so that they can make an informed decision.
This information must be presented in black octagonal seals on the front of the product with a specific space, as approved in the law. The Ministry of Health must issue the corresponding resolution for the production companies to design the new packages of this type of food.
However, before the law was approved, the Ministry of Health issued Resolution 810 of 2021, which established a regulation on the seals (Article 32), different from the one approved in the law, which at the time was denounced by the promoters of front labeling as a trap to the norm. Now, the portfolio would pretend to enforce that resolution, instead of the law.

Resolution 810

Article: Effect of five front-of-package nutritional labeling models on time to select food by Brazilians

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Objective: to compare the time Brazilian adults required to make food choices with different models of front-of-pack nutrition labeling. Methods: Interviews were conducted with 150 participants, who were instructed to select the healthiest product between two foods, with eight pairs of images presented. One of the products in each pair had warnings (high in sugars, sodium, or saturated fat), evaluated in different formats according to the group in which the individual was allocated: magnifying glass, octagon, circle, triangle, and traffic light. The number of correct answers for the healthiest product in each pair and the time to correctly select of the healthiest product were measured. Results: A lower number of correct answers for the healthier product among the pairs occurred with traffic lights than with any other model (p <0.001), which is also the format in which the longest time was necessary to correctly select the healthiest product (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences between the other formats. In the individual analysis of the products, the circle performed better, with significantly less time required to make the correct choices in seven of the eight products. Conclusion: To support healthy food choices, any of the tested formats for frontal nutrition labeling are indicated, except for the traffic light. The circle appears to be a good option to reduce consumer’s time to select healthy choices.

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

Article: Implementation of the Nutri-Score labeling in Spain: Dietitians-Nutritionist’s Perception. Cross-Sectional Study Protocol

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One of the strategies to combat the growing epidemic of overweight and obesity is the complementing of nutritional labeling with a logo that facilitates the selection of foods by the consumer. The objective of this work was to describe the Dietitians-Nutritionists’ perception about the Nutri-Score frontal food labeling before its implementation in Spain. Cross-sectional study, with 376 graduates in Human Nutrition and Dietetics (D-N), over 18 years of age, any sex, resident in Spain. Sociodemographic data and Nutri-Score labeling perception items will be recorded by online survey, with a global Content Validity Index (IVC) of 0.90. Continuous variables will be presented as means and standard error or medians and interquartile ranges according to the Kolmogorov-Smirnov analysis.

Consumo pondrá en marcha el sistema de etiquetado de alimentos Nutriscore a principios de 2021
For further information, you can access the original source in Spanish

The Americas – Argentina: Risks and opportunities of front labeling

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The Argentine Government passed Law 27.642 on the Promotion of Healthy Eating, better known as the Front Labeling Law, and the 90 days from its enactment on November 12 are already running for its regulation by the Executive Power.
The implementation of the Law implies changes in all food producing companies, what remains to be seen is who will be able to strategically capitalize on this opportunity to promote changes and improvements in current systems in order to optimize internal processes.

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