The prevalence of obesity has increased significantly worldwide, including in low- and middle-income countries. In Ecuador, a middle-income country, the government has implemented two policies to improve the quality of its population’s diet: (1) a traffic-light (TL) nutritional labeling requirement for processed foods and (2) a special tax scheme for drinks with a high sugar content (HSC). This study examines changes in carbonated soft drink (CSD) sugar formulation and its associated impacts on sugar consumption after the implementation of these two policies. Sugar content in soft drinks was obtained from the National Agency for Health Regulation, Control, and Surveillance (ARCSA) and directly from the labels of carbonated soft drinks sold in the country. CSD monthly purchase data from January 2013 to December 2019 were obtained from the Kantar World Panel (Ecuador). Mixed reactions followed the introduction of the TL in the sugar content reformulation of CSD. In contrast, the implementation of the HSC tax scheme was followed by extensive efforts to reformulate CSD as all brands studied decreased their sugar content. We also found evidence that CSD consumption reduced significantly after the HSC tax scheme was imposed. Overall, sugar consumption linked to CSD decreased after the implementation of these two policies. Still, most of this decrease is related to reformulation activities observed after the HSC tax scheme was implemented.
labels
Article/Brazil – Nutrition: transparency on labels and consumer information
The Ministry of Health launched the Food Guide for the Population in 2014, which defined ultra-processed foods as ready-to-eat products made primarily from synthetic substances. In addition to the harm of overconsumption, food labels are difficult to understand and influence food choices. It is necessary to make the population aware of healthy choices to promote public health, considering the increase in chronic degenerative diseases due to changes in eating patterns and a sedentary lifestyle. The document presents an essential literary basis, based on a qualitative and investigative perspective. The consulted references are accessible on both national and international platforms, and can be found in languages such as Portuguese and English. The purpose of this article is to address the importance of transparency in nutrition labels and provide relevant information to consumers. Although food labeling helps in choosing healthy foods, there is a lack of understanding. Legal norms should establish hygienic-sanitary standards, considering the low level of understanding and reliability on the labels. In Brazil, the Ministry of Health highlights the importance of clear labeling and the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) is responsible for regulation. New rules were announced in 2022, aimed at improving the legibility of labels and including information such as total and added sugars. Other countries, such as Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay, have also implemented nutrition labeling regulations. In the United States, the use of the Nutrition Facts Label (NFL) has been mandatory since 1990, and revised rules were released in 2016 to make information clearer.
Article/Bazil – Learning about food labels about food and nutrients: the use of labeling in research education
The function of labels is to guide consumers to understand food ingredients and promote healthy food choices. However, this does not mean that consumers use labels as a tool to choose which foods should be part of their diet. This investigative activity will address cellular biochemistry content – water and minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vitamins, and nucleic acids. The proposal will have a duration of 4 classes, and students will be divided into food groups, where after the exposure of images of unprocessed, processed and ultra-processed foods made by the teacher, the groups will create a label of the type of food designated for each group. Next, the teacher will challenge the students with a guiding question, and from this question they will develop hypotheses. The students will use real labels of foods that make up their diet to answer a questionnaire and compare the information on the real labels with the label they produced. A text will be produced reporting if after the research and activities done by the students, their hypotheses were right or not. Finally, there will be a round of conversation in which students can orally explain the difference between the label created by them and the real label. It is hoped that this proposal, based on the reading and analysis of food/beverage labels present in their diet, will alert and make students aware of the importance of having good eating habits, giving priority to unprocessed or minimally processed foods that contain nutrients necessary for the proper functioning of their bodies.
infoAlimentario 