Abstract
Public discussion, advocacy, and legislative consideration of policies aimed at reducing consumption of processed foods, such as sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes and mandatory front-of-package (FOP) warning labels, may stimulate product reformulation as a strategy to prevent regulation. In Colombia, there have been major legislative pushes for SSB taxes and FOP labels, although neither has passed to date. In light of the ongoing policy debate and successful implementation of similar policies in Peru and Chile, we explored manufacturer reformulation in the Colombian food supply. We compared the quantities of nutrients of concern (including sugar, sodium, and saturated fat) from the nutrition facts panels of the same 102 packaged foods and 36 beverages from the top-selling brands in Colombia between 2016 and 2018. Our analyses showed a substantial decrease in median sugar content of beverages, from 9.2 g per 100 mL to 5.2 g per 100 mL, and an increase in the percentage of beverages containing non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS), from 33% to 64% (p = 0.003). No meaningful changes in the quantities of nutrients of concern among foods were observed. Our findings suggest little reformulation has occurred in Colombia in the absence of mandatory policies, except for the substitution of sugar with NNS among beverages.
Highlights
In the past few decades, Colombia has undergone a nutrition transition, marked by rising levels of obesity [1,2] and increased availability and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and other ultra-processed foods [3,4], which contain ingredients generated through industrial processes and are characterized by hyper-palatability, convenience, and profitability [5,6]
Latin American countries have instituted policies aimed at reducing consumption of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods [9], such as sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes and mandatory front-of-package (FOP) warning labels [10,11,12,13,14,15,16], which inform consumers if a product is high in specific nutrients of concern
Because we restricted our sample to packaged products containing added nutrients of concern or non-nutritive sweetener (NNS), the proportion of products in our study that would receive labels was higher, we found that the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) nutrient profile model resulted in a greater proportion of regulated products than the Chilean model [40]
Summary
In the past few decades, Colombia has undergone a nutrition transition, marked by rising levels of obesity [1,2] and increased availability and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and other ultra-processed foods [3,4], which contain ingredients generated through industrial processes and are characterized by hyper-palatability, convenience, and profitability [5,6]. This shift is part of a larger global trend, linked to rising rates of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease [7,8]. The purpose of this paper is to explore manufacturer reformulation in Colombia, a country that is actively considering policies similar to those of nearby Peru and Chile, and that shares many of the same food suppliers with those nations
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
