“See the Truth” Webinar. How are some food industry actors working against octogonal warning labels.

Author: Truth campaign and Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC)

February 2024 – In support of the “See the Truth” campaign, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition and its partners organized a webinar on February 22, 2024. The webinar brought together civil society advocates, academics, and policymakers to address the issue of non-communicable diseases, particularly obesity, focusing on the process of implementing healthy food policies in CARICOM. It specifically examined resistance from the food sector, weaknesses in governance mechanisms, and the inability to effectively manage conflicts of interest in the face of powerful economic actors in the region.

At the time of the webinar, the Healthy Eating Law was in its second consultation phase. The discussion detailed the tactics used by the food industry to oppose and interfere with evidence-based policies, including conducting their own studies. A call was made to policymakers and the general public to recognize the realities behind industry interference and the harm it causes as a barrier to the effective design, development, and implementation of policies.

“See the Truth” is a regional Caribbean social media campaign promoting healthy food policies, such as front-of-package octagonal warning labels (FOPWL), and building support for implementing measures that safeguard policy-making processes. The campaign highlights industry interference tactics opposing octagonal warning labels and the PAHO Nutrient Profile Model.