Front-of-pack-labeling as a contribution to improving the dietary habits
- 14.08.2019
- English Articles
- Ibrahim Elmadfa
- Alexa L. Meyer
A current situation analysis
Providing simplified nutritional information on the front of packaged foods (FOP labeling) is considered a strategy to help consumers with healthier food choices, thereby improving their dietary habits and contributing to the prevention and control of obesity and noncommunicable diseases. Currently, a number of different FOP labeling models are used in a growing number of countries globally and in the EU and also by some food manufacturers and retailers even though FOP labeling still faces resistance. Consumer associations and health experts have been calling for mandatory uniform FOP labeling across the EU for some time. It is to be hoped that the recent publication of the WHO’s “Guiding principles and framework manual for front-of-pack labeling for promoting healthy diet”, the review of the Codex Alimentarius Commission’s Guidelines on Nutrition Labeling to include FOP labeling as well as recent discussions initiated by the EU-Commission will further an early agreement.
In light of the dramatic increase in overweight, obesity and nutrition- related noncommunicable diseases, a number of strategies have been suggested to prevent these health issues by improving the dietary habits and food consumption patterns at the population level. Among these is the providing of nutritional and other health-related information on packaged foods so as to facilitate a healthier food choice for consumers [1]. Nutritional labeling of foods is currently practiced in over 70 countries globally, in the majority of cases on a mandatory basis [2]. The predominant form is a table on the back or side of the package, listing the contents of a preset selection of nutrients per 100 g or 100 mL or in a usual serving of the food. In the European Union and many other countries, these include the amount of energy, total fat, carbohydrates, and protein as well as the contents of sugar, saturated fatty acids, and table salt. Other nutrients can be listed voluntarily or if there is a specific reference to them [3].
