Structural responses to the obesity and non‐communicable diseases epidemic: Update on the Chilean law of food labelling and advertising

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Authors: C. Corvalán; M. Reyes; M. L. Garmendia; R. Uauy

2018 – Chile approved the law of food labelling and advertising in 2012; this law aims to address the obesity epidemic, particularly in children. The implementation details were published in 2015, and the law was implemented finally in 2016. Regulated foods were defined based on a specially developed nutrient profiling, which considered natural foods as gold standard. For liquid foods, amounts of energy, sugars, saturated fats, and sodium in 100 mL of cow’s milk were used as cut‐offs. For solid foods, values within the 90th ‐ 99th percentile range for energy and critical nutrients were selected as cut‐off within a list of natural foods. A stop sign stating “High in ” was chosen as warning label for packaged regulated foods. Regulated foods were also forbidden to be sold or offered for free at kiosks, cafeterias, and feeding programme at schools and nurseries. Besides, regulated foods cannot be promoted to children under 14 years. A staggered implementation of the regulation was decided, with nutrients cut‐offs becoming increasingly stricter over a 3‐year period. These regulatory efforts are in the right direction but will have to be sustained and complemented with other actions to achieve their ultimate impact of halting the obesity epidemic.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/obr.12802

Structural responses to the obesity and non-communicable diseases epidemic: the Chilean Law of Food Labeling and Advertising

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Authors: C. Corvalán; M. Reyes; M. L. Garmendia; R. Uauy

2013 – Chilean Senate approved the Law of Food Labeling and Advertising, resulting from the joint efforts of a group of health professionals, researchers and legislators who proposed a regulatory framework in support of healthy diets and active living. Its goal was to curb the ongoing epidemic increase of obesity and non-communicable diseases. Two actions included: (i) improving point of food purchase consumer information by incorporating easy-to-understand front-of-packages labeling and specific messages addressing critical nutrients, and (ii) decreasing children’s exposure to unhealthy foods by restricting marketing, advertising and sales.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/obr.12099

Superior Efficacy of Front-of-Package Warning Labels in Jamaica

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Author: PanAmerican Health Organization ( PAHO ) / World Health Organization ( WHO )

March 2021 – This fact-sheet presents the results of the first study to take place in the Caribbean to examine the best performing front-of-package labeling (FOPL). It was conducted by the Ministry of Health and Wellness of Jamaica, the University of Technology, Jamaica, and the Pan American Health Organization, and contributes to the evidence that has been accumulated in the Region of the Americas on the topic. Consumers showed the octagonal warning labels had the highest chances of correctly identifying when products were excessive in sugars, sodium, or saturated fats, of correctly identifying the least harmful option, and of choosing the least harmful or none of the products more often.

https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/53328

Structural responses to the obesity and non‐communicable diseases epidemic: Update on the Chilean law of food labelling and advertising

/in , , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

Authors: C. Corvalán; M. Reyes; M. L. Garmendia; R. Uauy

October 2018 – Chile approved the law of food labelling and advertising in 2012; this law aims to address the obesity epidemic, particularly in children. The implementation details were published in 2015, and the law was implemented finally in 2016. Regulated foods were defined based on a specially developed nutrient profiling, which considered natural foods as gold standard. For liquid foods, amounts of energy, sugars, saturated fats, and sodium in 100 mL of cow’s milk were used as cut‐offs. For solid foods, values within the 90th ‐ 99th percentile range for energy and critical nutrients were selected as cut‐off within a list of natural foods. A stop sign stating “High in ” was chosen as warning label for packaged regulated foods. Regulated foods were also forbidden to be sold or offered for free at kiosks, cafeterias, and feeding programme at schools and nurseries. Besides, regulated foods cannot be promoted to children under 14 years. A staggered implementation of the regulation was decided, with nutrients cut‐offs becoming increasingly stricter over a 3‐year period. These regulatory efforts are in the right direction but will have to be sustained and complemented with other actions to achieve their ultimate impact of halting the obesity epidemic.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/obr.12802