Over the past two decades worldwide obesity has increased by 82%. In the EU population the levels of overweight and obesity are rising dramatically. Also in Latin America obesity is growing very rapidly. As a result of its high economic and human costs, obesity has become one of the newest targets of public health law. That the law can be a powerful instrument of public health is effectively demonstrated by the results obtained, for example, in reducing rates of smoking, in improving safety in the workplace and in motor vehicles, etc. In these instances the adoption of coercive interventions and policies – such as taxes and subsidies – has altered the costs of certain choices and thus influenced behavior. In this context food labeling is emerging as a major tool: the focus is not only on providing nutrition information on foods, but also on developing initiatives to reduce the presence of added sugar, trans fats, other saturated fats and added sodium in foods, through a front-of-pack nutrition logo system that helps consumers make healthier food choices and stimulates product reformulation. The subject of this report is a comparison between the strategies adopted in European Union and in Latin America regarding food labeling aimed at improving its role in fighting obesity, in the perspective to urge a reflection about if and how the food labeling can be regulated in order to create conditions that allow people to lead healthier lives.
THE RULES ON FOOD LABELS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST OBESITY: A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE APPROACH OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THAT OF LATIN AMERICA
BOLOGNINI, SILVIA
2016-01-01
Abstract
Over the past two decades worldwide obesity has increased by 82%. In the EU population the levels of overweight and obesity are rising dramatically. Also in Latin America obesity is growing very rapidly. As a result of its high economic and human costs, obesity has become one of the newest targets of public health law. That the law can be a powerful instrument of public health is effectively demonstrated by the results obtained, for example, in reducing rates of smoking, in improving safety in the workplace and in motor vehicles, etc. In these instances the adoption of coercive interventions and policies – such as taxes and subsidies – has altered the costs of certain choices and thus influenced behavior. In this context food labeling is emerging as a major tool: the focus is not only on providing nutrition information on foods, but also on developing initiatives to reduce the presence of added sugar, trans fats, other saturated fats and added sodium in foods, through a front-of-pack nutrition logo system that helps consumers make healthier food choices and stimulates product reformulation. The subject of this report is a comparison between the strategies adopted in European Union and in Latin America regarding food labeling aimed at improving its role in fighting obesity, in the perspective to urge a reflection about if and how the food labeling can be regulated in order to create conditions that allow people to lead healthier lives.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
