Month: February 2022

The Americas – USA: The Americas: Minnesota Lawmakers Advance Legislation to Allow Hemp Extracts to be Used as a Food Additive

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Minnesota lawmakers approved legislation Feb. 21 that would open up a new market for hemp growers.

The Minnesota House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee advanced HF2996, sponsored by Rep. Samantha Vang (D), in a 13-0 vote, which would allow hemp extracts to be used as a food additive.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) would be responsible for regulating the testing, labeling, production, and manufacturing of such products, as well as the dosing levels for the food additives, the Minnesota Legislature reported.

For further information, you can access the original source

Article: The impact of front-of-the-packaging nutrition labelling warnings on consumer habits: a scoping review exploring the case of the Chilean Food Law

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Purpose – The purpose of this scoping review was to summarise the general results of the Chilean Food Law implementation to help to understand how this policy has changed consumer’s behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach – Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines were followed. Five databases were searched for studies published from January 2015 to February 2020 evaluating the Chilean population’s perception, behaviour and purchasing habits of processed foods.

Findings – The results showed that consumers support the implementation of a front-of-package warning label (FOPWL) and thought it a good strategy to help make healthier food choices for themselves. However, even with a positive perception about these products, the intention-to-change the purchase of unhealthy food occurred only for sugar-sweetened beverages. Meanwhile, children did not stop eating foods that had a FOPWL, although the mothers’ perception was that the presence of FOPWLs could be important to differentiate unhealthy from healthy products. The availability of products with FOPWLs at schools decreased, indicating that the law was being complied with and that the child-directed marketing strategy showed a reduction after the first phase of implementation.

For further information, you can access the original source

The Americas – Argentina: The INV has defined a new wine product: a drink made of must and wine

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By Resolution 02/2022, the National Institute of Viticulture (INV in Spanish) defined a new wine product called Must and Wine based beverage or Must and Wine based product. It is obtained from a minimum of 50% of the sum of must and wine, to which sweeteners, colorants, flavorings, alcohol and food quality products duly authorized by the competent body may be added.

The labeling of these new products must be in accordance with the regulations in force for wine products, and the percentages of the non-wine compounds of which they are composed must also be indicated.

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

The Americas – Mexico: Draft amendment to implement front labeling of transgenic products

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Congresswoman Celeste Sánchez Romero (PT) presented an initiative to reform several provisions of the General Law on Health and Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms, with the purpose of guaranteeing the consumer’s right to information, through front labeling.

He stated that the information contained in the labels must be truthful, objective, clear, understandable, precise and useful for the consumer, in order to allow identifying at a glance the content of transgenic products.

In a press release, he stated that Mexico has a severe delay in the front labeling of transgenic products, which have a strong impact on the health of those who consume them, when they are consumed over a long period of time.

For further information, you can access the original source (in Spanish), click on the Link

The Americas – Cuba: Draft Food Sovereignty and Food and Nutritional Security Law under analysis

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The Plan for Food Sovereignty and Nutritional Education in Cuba must have a legislative framework that allows its regulation, which was discussed at the Ministry of Agriculture, through a legislative hearing convened by the National Assembly of People’s Power (ANPP).

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