NUTRITION

Food Labeling. On May 2, the first Meeting on Front Labeling of food and beverages in Mercosur was held with the objective of advancing on labeling policies in line with the objectives of the Ministers of Health of Mercosur’s member countries. Measures are currently being worked on to provide labeling on foods containing excessive fat, sodium and sugar, with an eye to the octagonal labeling systems used in Chile and Uruguay. Mercosur representatives prepared a report detailing regional experiences which is to be presented to the relevant authorities of the regional bloc members in the coming months.

This report points to the need to generate regulatory policies to guarantee that consumers have access to information on packaged food and beverages, so that they are better aware of their nutritional quality. In this way, they stressed that the right of consumers to be able to choose products with autonomy should be guaranteed.

The event included two technical workshops attended by representatives from Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Argentina, who shared experiences and evidence on the formulation and application of policies in this area. At the same time, a report was presented on the epidemiological situation in relation to obesity in the region and the strategies to fight it.

The organization was led by the Secretary of Health of Argentina, Adolfo Rubinstein, and the representative in Argentina of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Maureen Birmingham. Among those present were members of the Intersectoral Commission on Food and Nutritional Security (CISAN, in Spanish) and the Intergovernmental Commission on Non-Communicable Diseases (CIENT, in Spanish) of Mercosur member countries, representatives of associated countries, legislators presiding over the committees on health, trade and consumer rights of the chambers of deputies and senators, political decision-makers and technical teams affected by the problem of obesity or the regulation of front labeling of food and beverages, civil societies, consumers and social communicators.

Next Steps

In the coming months, Mercosur representatives will present to the authorities a report that compiles regional experiences and points to the need to generate regulatory policies to safeguard consumer access to information on packaged food and beverages. Ultimately this is about guaranteeing the right of consumers to choose products with greater autonomy.