In Mexico, the inclusion of a Front-of-Pack Label in the Official Mexican Standard-051 (NOM-051 for its Spanish acronym) has been widely discussed for years by different stakeholder groups. In 2019, the NOM-051 modification project was proposed, which included front-of-pack warning labels. To be modified, it went through a public consultation period where stakeholders sent their comments to be reviewed and considered. The purpose of this study was to analyze the perspectives of key stakeholders during the public consultation of the NOM-051 modification project in order to understand their positions and their effect on the final public policy.
The European Commission is planning to establish ‘nutrient profiles’, that is, maximum amounts for nutrients such as fat, sugar and/or salt in foods, above which the use of nutrition or health claims would be restricted or forbidden. For example, breakfast cereals exceeding a sugar limit could no longer advertise their fibre or vitamin content. The Commission was already tasked with setting nutrient profiles to restrict the promotion of food high in fat, sugar and/or salt under the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation (‘Claims Regulation’) adopted in 2006. Now, in accordance with the action plan accompanying the EU’s ‘farm to fork’ strategy, the Commission will submit a proposal on nutrient profiles by the end of 2022. The proposal will form part of a wider package revising EU legislation on food information supplied to consumers, together with proposals on front-of-pack nutrition labelling, origin labelling, date marking, and labelling of alcoholic beverages. In the same package, the Commission also intends to solve a problem that has long been puzzling manufacturers and consumers in the herbal and plant products market, namely, that the same product can be classified both as a herbal medicine and as a food, depending on the Member State in which it is sold. While most consumer organisations and health advocates strongly support the idea of introducing nutrient profiles, opponents caution against overly simplistic labels that punish certain food groups and lead health-conscious individuals to avoid them. The European Parliament has stressed that food information is a potent tool for empowering consumers.
The Ministry of Economy is facing 162 lawsuits seeking to overturn the regulatory changes underpinning the new front-end labeling of prepackaged food and non-alcoholic beverages that went into effect in 2020, however, it reserved the identity of the plaintiffs and the companies or groups they represent.
Of the 162 lawsuits mentioned above, 135 are amparo lawsuits, which are filed in different administrative courts and tribunals of the Federal Judicial Branch, and 27 are nullity lawsuits, filed before the Federal Court of Administrative Justice”.
The Association of Plant-Based Food Producers created an alliance with the “International Vegan Certificate” certifier to bring safety to vegan and vegan friedly establishments. The alliance between the two arises due to the lack of guidelines on compliance with the approval of related suppliers in the country, and therefore, this seal is based on the strictest international standards that are supported by the international standard ISO 23662:2021, which provides assurance and transparency in the processes of certified companies.
The initiative presented to the National Food Commission (CONAL in Spanish) and available for public consultation proposes to update the current regulations on the presence of trans fats in commercialized foods, with the aim of improving their regulation and guaranteeing the right to health for all.
ARTICLE 1. – Article 155 tris of the Argentine Food Code is hereby replaced and shall be worded as follows: “Article 155 tris: The content of industrially produced trans fatty acids in foods, including those used as ingredients and raw materials, shall not exceed 2% of the total content of trans fatty acids in foods, including those used as ingredients and raw materials. ingredients and raw materials, shall not exceed 2% of the total fats. These limits do not apply to fats from ruminants, including milk fat.
The use of partially hydrogenated oils and fats in the production of foods, ingredients and raw materials is prohibited”.
infoAlimentario 