Canada Bids To Follow Chile, On Putting Warnings Signs On Junk Food

Canada is trying to follow Chile, who recently started putting warnings signs on junk food, but US is hampering this process by bringing in North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Canada wants to put warning labels on the cover of foot items to warn public of high content of unhealthy ingredients. If the move is implemented, Canada would be the second country to do so but only after Chile.

One of the most health specific obesity policy experiments are said to be happening in Chile, where officials concerned with health are revolutionizing nutrition labeling to inform the consumers of high sugar and fat products. The Chilean government has adopted a symbol-based warning labeling method that is usually placed on the front of the cover.

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‘Processed food items are heavily related to obesity and diabetes development, and so health organizations such as WHO and Institute of Medicine have suggested serving the consumers better by placing symbol-based nutrition labels on the cover of food products just like Chile.’

Canada which has generalized obesity of around 26 percent, has now taken. In he meantime, Mexico is also considering the move, as it also has a large number of overweight, obesity, and diabetic population.

Opposed to general common sense shared by Mexico and Canada, this new approach is being hindered by American trade representatives.

According to a leaked document published by Vox, US trade representatives were found to trying to override national food labeling policies in Mexico, Canada through NAFTA renegotiation.

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The US has been specifically proposing a provision about packaged food and non-alcoholic beverages that suggests that countries involved in the trade deal should not adopt front-of-package symbol.

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Almost 60 percent of the calories consumed in America between 2007 and 2012 came from ultra-processed foods, finds a recent study, published in the BMJ.

World Health Organization and Institute of Medicine have also suggested informing the consumers better with symbol-based nutrition labels.

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In the year 2016, Chile introduced it’s new food labeling system in response to the country’s urgent Obesity crisis, nearly 25% of adults there were obese. They have already adopted the method with all high sugar, saturated fat having a stop-sign warning with the words “Alto en” or “high in.”

A researcher at the University of California, Shu Wen Ng who has been evaluating the effectiveness of anti-obesity policies around the world said that “A lot of research across the globe has looked at [these labels] and consumers don’t understand them. There’s too much information to digest across nutrients. It’s more confusing.”

Source-Medindia