Colombia

The Americas – Colombia: Foods with front-of-package labeling appear on the market

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There are already some food packages with circular warning seals, in accordance with resolution 810 of the Ministry of Health, despite the fact that different social organizations have requested octagonal seals.
However, the debate that has been generated in several instances is that after the resolution was issued in the Congress of the Republic, a law was issued that modified some guidelines. Among them, it was requested that the front seals be chosen based on the best scientific information, which according to the civil society are the octagonal seals.

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

Article: Elements for the design of a tax levied to foods and beverages high in sodium, fats and/or sugars in Colombia

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A broad international evidence shows that diets high in sodium, saturated and trans fats, and added sugars are risk factors for the development of obesity, cardiovascular diseases and type II diabetes. Therefore, this have motivated nearly 50 countries to implement “healthy taxes” to discourage the intake of some products with a high-density level of these nutrients, most of them being taxes to sweetened beverages. Through a literature review about the international experiences regarding “healthy taxes” and the estimation of a quadratic demand model (QUAIDS), this study analyzes the potential impact of different types of taxes on foods and beverages high in sodium, fats and/or sugars in Colombia on (i) the intake of these nutrients, (ii) the government revenue collection and (iii) the households’ available income for different income levels.

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

Colombia: Piden al presidente del senado agendar último debate de ‘ley comida chatarra’

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El colectivo de abogados José Alvear Restrepo envió una carta al presidente del senado Arturo Char pidiéndole que incluya cuanto antes en el orden del día la última discusión del proyecto de ley de etiquetado de alimentos ultraprocesados conocido como “ley comida chatarra”, debido a que está en riesgo por cuenta de (según ellos) la interferencia de la industria para buscar su archivo (Fuente).