NUTRITION

Food labeling. On February 6, at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Chile, a consultation was held with the private sector to draft a declaration to be presented at the 38th FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean (LARC 38), to be held from March 18 to 22 in Guyana.

Among the requests submitted by the private sector to work on the drafting of the declaration, Juan Camilo Montes of the Latin American Alliance of Food and Beverage Industry Associations (ALAIAB in Spanish) requested the elimination of the mention of front-of-line food labeling in one of the thematic axes, for the sentence “Commitment of the sector to transparent information that allows consumers to make informed decisions”, arguing that front-of-line labeling in the region has a format that can misinform and mislead consumer decision making.

Among the requests made by the private sector were to increase the participation of this sector in the development of public policies that have an impact on them, to promote the productive chaining of small producers with companies to improve their income, and to improve food distribution in order to reduce food losses.

Next steps

The declaration was not drafted at the meeting, at which a list of issues of interest was made, and a Drafting Committee was delegated to prepare the document. The four thematic axes on which the private sector will base its proposal are: Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment and Better Life. It is expected to be presented during LARC 38.