Front of Package Labeling Report from PAHO

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recently released a report entitled “Front of Package Labeling as a Policy Tool for the Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases in the Americas”.  Founded in 1912, PAHO is the world’s oldest international health agency. The report summarizes evidence of the performance and impact of front-of-pack labeling (FOPL) and provides a list of FAQs about nutrition warning systems.  The report focuses on supporting populations in the Americas in their efforts to meet World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations and protect consumers from the top risk factors to their health including recommendations on energy from free sugars, energy from saturated fats, energy from total fats, and sodium intake guidance.  It does not address low or no calorie sweeteners.

The report also notes that the regulatory objective of any FOPL system is to allow consumers to quickly and correctly identify products that contain excessive amounts of sugars, saturated fats, trans fats, and sodium. With obesity becoming a priority health issue throughout the Americas, this report may support a useful and easy consumer product assessment tool.

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Posted on 19 October 2020