NUTRITION
Healthy food. On October 18, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) presented a report in which it raises concerns about the increased consumption of ultra-processed foods and beverages in Latin America. The agency says that sales of ultra-processed foods and drinks grew by 8.3% from 2009 to 2014, the last year for which data was available. In turn, the report predicts this figure to rise to 9.2% by 2019. To combat malnutrition and obesity, PAHO recommends that governments apply regulations to the production and marketing of these products.
One of the sections of the report points out that of all the nutrients contained in ultra-processed foods and beverages, 43% is sugar. As such, it describes soft drinks, sweet and salty snacks, cookies, cakes, pastries and desserts, and sauces and dressings, as “especially problematic”.
Referring to the report, Fabio da Silva Gomes, PAHO’s regional nutritional advisor, called on “governments to establish policies to restrict sales of these products. Ultra-processed foods cannot be the basis of a diet, an essential part of it”.
Another recommendation made by the report is that governments restrict the promotion and advertising of such foods; it also proposes creating incentives to ensure unprocessed and minimally processed foods are more readily available and at a lower and more stable cost.
Next steps
Following its report on the increase in sales of ultra-processed foods and beverages in the region, PAHO expects governments to ratify its recommendations. It also hopes its calls are backed by the scientific community and civil society organizations so as to give impulse to policies and regulations to discourage the consumption of ultra-processed products, as well as to protect and promote healthy food choices. PAHO will be calling on member countries to adopt a variety of policy, legal and regulatory measures to address the issue and to inform consumers about the content of products.