Food Labeling Law Research Articles

ENTORNOS ALIMENTARIOS: AVANCES Y DESAFÍOS EN INVESTIGACIÓN

Poor nutrition is currently the leading cause of death and disability in Chile and worldwide. Interventions based solely on behavioral changes have shown limited impact unless accom­panied by changes in individuals’ environments. Food environments are defined as the places and conditions where people access food and make decisions about their diet, including as­pects such as physical and economic availability, promotion, and nutritional content of food. Research on the role of food environments in population health is relatively recent and has primarily focused on developed countries. However, in Chile, relevant information has been generated in the last decade, enabling the formulation of public health promotion policies. In June 2019, the implementation of the Chilean Food Labeling Law was completed, inter­nationally recognized as an innovative policy that integrates improved information actions with restrictions on the promotion of unhealthy foods and measures favoring healthier school environments. Evaluations conducted so far show that the law was successfully implemented and has led to modifications in both consumer behaviors and the food industry, promoting healthier food environments, especially for children. Nevertheless, the mere implementation of this law is insufficient, and it is necessary to continue complementing these actions with others that promote healthier environments to advance in improving the nutrition and health of the entire population.

Framing a New Nutrition Policy: Changes on Key Stakeholder's Discourses throughout the Implementation of the Chilean Food Labelling Law.

The global implementation of structural policies to tackle obesity has been slow, likely because of the competing interests of governments and the food industry. We used the discussion of the Chilean Food Labeling Law to identify influential stakeholders in the media and their frames during different periods of the law's implementation. This involved a content analysis of the food regulation media coverage in five key periods from 2007, when the food bill was first introduced in Congress, to 2018, when the second phase of the law was implemented (N = 1295). We found that most of the law coverage was through elite press. Half of the sources were from the food industry (26.7%) and government (26.2%), while other stakeholders, were less prevalent. Frames were mostly competing, except for cooperation with the law. The main food industry frame used during the discussion of the law was the "economic threat" (41.9%), whose prevalence decreased at the post-implementation period (13%, p < 0.01). No other relevant stakeholders changed their framing. Our results highlight that there are several aspects of public health communication, such as the type of media used, the involvement of scholars and civil society, and the framing, that could be improved to advance food environment policies.

대체식품 표시광고 규제에 대한 비교법적 연구

As more and more people do not consume animal ingredients for various reasons such as environmental sustainability, animal welfare, and religious beliefs, “alternative foods” that can supplement nutrients that may be lacking for these people are drawing attention. The term “alternative food” means food manufactured and processed to have a similar taste and texture to existing food by replacing animal-based materials with other ingredients. The alternative food currently on sale only aims to replace existing food, and there are no safety problems because it uses raw materials that have been recognized for safety. These alternative foods have grown through publicity and advertising using meat labeling, such as meat, milk, or cooking names(tteokgalbi, bulgogi, etc.). However, controversy over the labeling of alternative foods has arisen around the world as the traditional livestock industry has claimed the use of meat labeling for alternative foods. In the United States, there are no federal-level alternative food labeling laws, so the state government allows, prohibits, or waits for meat labeling of alternative foods depending on the state's major industries. In states where the state law prohibits meat labeling of alternative foods, lawsuits are continuing between alternative food companies that oppose it. At the EU level, dairy labeling of alternative foods has been banned following the ruling of the EU Court of Justice, and discussions on whether alternative foods are allowed to be labeled with meat continue. The common issue of meat labeling in alternative foods is largely identified in two ways. The first is the question of whether it is reasonable to use meat labeling because alternative foods do not use meat in the traditional sense, so they are not included in the legal scope of meat, dairy products, and meat processed products. The second is whether the use of these markings on foods that do not contain any traditional meat or milk leads to misunderstanding and confusion among consumers. EU and US precedents take conflicting positions on each issue. In order to prevent large-scale disputes such as those that occurred in the United States and the EU, alternative food labeling standards that take into account the average perception of the general public in society should be prepared. In addition, even if standards that take into account the perception of the general public are prepared, measures should be sought to reduce the possibility of misunderstanding and confusion as much as possible.

Prize‐winning abstracts from BSACI/WAO 2022 meeting

Prize‐winning abstracts from <scp>BSACI</scp>/<scp>WAO</scp> 2022 meeting

Why Don't You [Government] Help Us Make Healthier Foods More Affordable Instead of Bombarding Us with Labels? Maternal Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practices after Full Implementation of the Chilean Food Labelling Law.

Experimental and real-life evaluations show that the use of front-of-package warning labels (FoP) in unhealthy foods is well understood and can modify people’s behaviors. However, it is unclear whether these effects remain in the long term because of the risk of message fatigue. The purpose of this study is to explore after four years of implementation of the Chilean Food Labelling law people’s dietary behavior and FoP labels attention. Nine focus groups of mothers (7–10 people each) of children (2–14 yo) were conducted in Santiago, Chile, and macrocodes were developed, combining an iterative process of deductive and inductive thematic analyses. We found that mothers experienced labels’ fatigue but also had greater knowledge about nutrition and appreciation for more natural foods. This greater knowledge about better nutrition interferes with the perception that healthier and less processed foods are financial and physically inaccessible. The key role of schools as an environment for promoting healthier diets in children was strengthened by the mothers. These results suggest that policies based on providing consumer information need reinforcement campaigns to maintain their effectiveness and that we also need to advance policies to improve access and affordability of healthy foods to ensure better diets.

UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLEXITIES OF THE PREVALENCE AND CONTROL OF TRANS FAT IN THE FOOD SUPPLY IN PAKISTAN

Objective: Pakistan is among the nations that have a high intake of trans fatty acids (TFAs). TFAs are considered one of the major dietary risk factors of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Efforts are underway in the country to eliminate industrially-produced TFAs from the food supply in keeping with the priority targets of the World Health Organization (WHO) for 2019–2023. We reviewed the TFA content reported in industrially produced foods and discuss the regulatory landscape for TFAs, to facilitate the required policy changes in Pakistan and ultimately eliminate the TFA burden from industrial food products. Design and method: The study components included review of published research and product labels as well as review of prevailing food regulations for TFA-related information. A set of recommendations was also prepared to eliminate TFAs from Pakistan after national consultation workshops conducted in 2019. Results: Vanaspati ghee (partially hydrogenated oil), bakery shortening, hard margarines, and fat spreads were identified as the major sources of TFAs. Food products with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils or bakery margarine in their ingredients also contained high level of TFAs. Repeated use of oil for deep frying of potato and cereal products also caused an increase in TFA content. Federal and provincial food authorities have recently established the limits for TFAs in a few products; however, regulations do not include mandatory food labeling. Conclusions: A comprehensive national strategy for TFA elimination, based on knowledge of TFA prevalence associated regulatory control is suggested in this study. We recommend to: (1) promote actions towards replacement of traditional vanaspati ghee/bakery fats with healthier alternatives; (2) review national and provincial food standards to support development and implementation of legislative actions and their compliance; (3) amend food labeling laws so that clear information will be provided to inform consumers’ healthy food choices.

Impact of warning labels on reducing health halo effects of nutrient content claims on breakfast cereal packages: A mixed-measures experiment

Chile recently implemented a food labeling law that requires packaged foods with sugar, saturated fats, sodium, and/or calorie content that exceeds government-defined thresholds to carry a front-of-package warning for each excessive nutrient. This law does not prohibit the use of nutrient content (NC) marketing claims on packages, as long as the claims do not directly contradict the warnings. Yet, having NC claims alongside nutrient warnings might send mixed messages confusing consumers about the overall healthiness of a product. The present study tests the co-occurrence of warning labels and NC claims in breakfast cereal packages on product perceptions and behavioral intentions of Chilean adults in a 3 (warnings: none, high calorie, high calorie/high sugar) × 3 (NC claims: none, fiber/wholegrain, low fat/cholesterol-free) mixed-measures experiment. Fiber-related claims had a main effect leading to more positive ratings of the product, compared to having no NC claims or fat-related claims. These positive ratings extended beyond perceptions of the fiber content to perceptions of overall healthiness, naturalness, quality, vitamin content, and intentions to purchase and recommend the product—a health halo effect. No significant interaction between warnings and NC claims was found. However, warnings had a main effect on perceptions irrespective of the presence of NC claims, with one warning significantly reducing ratings, dampening any halo effects, and two warnings further dampening any effects. These findings indicate that warning labels can mitigate, but not eliminate the influences of NC claims on consumer perceptions of product healthiness.

HOW TO DESIGN GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD LABELING REGULATION IN INDONESIA - TAKING SCIENCE, TRADE LAW, AND INDONESIAN DEMANDS SERIOUSLY

The paper critically evaluates the current Indonesian genetically modified (GM) food labeling regime as it is embedded in the international trade law and policy system. This research proposes a GM food labeling regulation for Indonesia based on the socio-economic demands of Indonesia on the one hand and the demands of international trade law and policy on the other. It answers the following research questions: What are the legislative requirements for labelling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) according to Indonesian law? How should Indonesian law on GM food labelling be designed to meet the interests of its peoples and provide access to foreign markets? We highlight the major weaknesses of the Indonesian GM food labelling law from the perspective chosen in this paper, such as the dependence on regulation from bigger trading blocs, lack of consideration for the socio-economic characteristics of Indonesia, and a low level of compliance. To overcome these shortcomingss, we propose a novel GM food labeling regulation for Indonesia that is based on the concept of Food Safety Objective/Appropriate Level of Protection (FSO/ALOP) applicable to developing countries.

Designing enhanced labeling information to increase consumer willingness to pay for genetically modified foods

PurposeThe regulations for qualitative genetically modified (GM) food labeling do not effectively eliminate the information asymmetries pertaining to the consumption of GM products. China's GM food labeling law requires the presentation of certain categories of GM products on GMO labels on packages. Such information is invaluable for understanding whether the disclosure of more information on GM foods can help alleviate information asymmetry while reducing consumer fear and risk perceptions of GM foods, and thus cause changes in their behaviors. The purpose of this paper is to explore the heterogeneity of consumer preferences for enhanced GM food labeling, how consumer preferences are influenced by labeling information, and how these preferences vary in different consumers.Design/methodology/approachBoth descriptive statistics and econometric techniques, including the multivariate ordered Probit model, were applied to a sample of 566 urban consumers in the Yangtze River Delta region of China. All respondents were divided into two groups: people who would definitely not buy GM foods before selecting enhanced labeling information (“consumer group 1”, sample size 282) and people who would definitely not object to buying GM foods before selecting enhanced labeling information (“consumer group 2”, sample size 274).FindingsThe findings suggest that urban consumers have a preference for different types of enhanced labeling information about GM foods, that such a preference significantly influences their willingness to pay for GM foods, that there exists a large difference in the preferences of different consumer groups, and that enhanced GM food labeling information has a greater impact on those consumers who would not accept GM foods.Originality/valueThis research identifies the GM information disclosures that most affect consumer preferences and how these preferences vary across different segments of consumers, which is a current gap in the literature. The study has demonstrated that enhanced labels of GM foods with diverse information would not alter a consumer's WTP for GM foods who does not perceive the value of information from the enhanced labels, but change positively consumers with uncertainty willingness to pay before disclosure.

Understanding the complexities of prevalence of trans fat and its control in food supply in Pakistan.

Pakistan is among the nations with a high intake of trans-fatty acids (TFAs), a major dietary risk factor of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Efforts are underway in the country to eliminate industrially produced TFAs from the food supply in keeping with the priority targets of the World Health Organization (WHO) for 2019-2023. We reviewed the TFA content reported in industrially produced foods and discuss the regulatory landscape for TFAs, to facilitate the required policy changes in Pakistan and ultimately eliminate the TFA burden from industrial food products. The study components include review of published research and product labels as well as review of prevailing food regulations for TFA-related information. A set of recommendations was also prepared to eliminate TFAs from Pakistan after national consultation workshops conducted in year 2019. Vanaspati ghee (partially hydrogenated vegetable oil), bakery shortening, hard margarines, and fat spreads are identified as the major sources of TFAs. Federal and provincial food authorities have recently established the limits for TFAs in few products; however, the TFA regulations are insufficient and not in line with global best practices. This study informs a comprehensive national strategy for TFA elimination based on knowledge of TFA prevalence associated regulatory control. We recommend to (1) promote actions toward replacement of traditional vanaspati ghee/bakery fats with healthier alternatives; (2) develop and implement best regulatory practices in line with WHO recommendations; and (3) amend food labeling laws so that clear information will be provided to inform consumers healthy food choices.

Intake of Non-Nutritive Sweeteners in Chilean Children after Enforcement of a New Food Labeling Law that Regulates Added Sugar Content in Processed Foods.

After enforcement of a new food labeling law in 2016, Chile exhibits a greater offer to reduced sugar products with addition of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS). Many of these products are consumed by children, who are at greater risk of reaching the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of these food additives. The objective of this study was to evaluate the intake levels of NNS in Chilean schoolchildren after the enactment of the aforementioned law. A total of 250 Chilean children 6–12 years old were surveyed. NNS intake was assessed through a food frequency questionnaire. All children evaluated consumed at least one NNS during the previous month. Sucralose had the highest consumption frequency reaching 99.2%, followed by acesulfame-K (92.8%), stevia (86.0%), and aspartame (85.2%). Aspartame showed the highest median intake, which came mainly from beverages (96%). No children exceeded the ADI of any NNS. Smaller children exhibited a higher body weight-adjusted intake of sucralose, acesulfame-K, stevia, and aspartame (p < 0.05). In Chile, a wide range of processed foods with NNSs is available and all schoolchildren evaluated consumed at least one product containing NNS. However, this consumption does not exceed defined ADIs for any of the six sweeteners authorized for food use in Chile.

Prevalence of Health and Nutrient Content Marketing Strategies on Breakfast Cereal Packages Before and After a Countrywide Marketing and Labeling Regulation: A Focus on Chile

Abstract Objectives Chile's Food Labeling Law requires packaged foods that exceed certain thresholds for sugars, saturated fats, sodium, and calories to use one or more front of package warning logos identifying the excessive nutrient, and restricts the use of nutrient claims (e.g., lower sugar) contradicting its warning (e.g., high in sugar). We examined health- and nutrition-related marketing on breakfast cereals packages that did vs. did not qualify for a “high in” logo in packages photographed before and after the law implementation. Methods Photographs were taken in 6 supermarkets in Santiago before (n = 168) and after (n = 146) implementation. Breakfast cereals were classified by whether or not they had high levels of sugar, sodium, saturated fat, or calories according to the regulation, and thus were required to carry a warning label. Packages were analyzed for the presence of low-in and high-in nutrient claims and the following health appeals: health benefits, general healthiness, healthy habit recommendations, and medical endorsements. Results About 79% of products at pre-implementation and 59% of products at post-implementation qualified as “high in.” Of the post-implementation “high in” products, 93% displayed at least one warning logo. Comparing pre-implementation vs. post-implementation, the percentage of “high in” products that used at least one nutrient claim (92% vs. 86%) or health appeal (81% vs. 77%) did not change significantly. However, low-in claims (51% vs. 29%) and health benefit claims (10% vs. 1%), specifically, decreased after implementation, P &amp;lt; .05. Among “non high in” packages, the percentage of products that used health appeals (75% vs. 95%) increased post-implementation, P &amp;lt; .05. Medical endorsements, specifically, were less prevalent at post-implementation among both “high in” (from 23% to 0%) and “non high in” products (from 25% to 5%), P &amp;lt; .05. Conclusions After implementation of the Chilean law, 93% of “high in” breakfast cereal packages complied with the use of warning logos. Featuring these warnings appears to have reduced the prevalence of “low in” claims among “high in” cereals. However, the law did not appear to affect the prevalence of other health- and nutrient-related marketing strategies. Funding Sources Bloomberg Philanthropies, International Development Research Center, and Chilean National Agency of Research and Development.

Sistemas alimentarios globales y ley de etiquetado de alimentos en Chile

Esse trabalho tem como objetivo analisar o papel do governo chileno frente ao modelo de produção corporativa de alimentos, avaliando a política pública de rotulagem desenvolvida pelo Ministério da Saúde nos últimos anos através da Lei 20.606. Apresentam-se alguns resultados de leis de rotulagem de alimentos sobre as mudanças nos padrões de consumo, assim como seus primeiros resultados no Chile. No contexto atual, o Estado perde importância como regulador da produção e consumo de alimentos no mundo, o que faz com que o regime corporativo tenha mais liberdade para entrar na dieta familiar. O trabalho baseia-se na abordagem dos regimes alimentares para discutir o papel do Estado na regulação do consumo alimentar. São analisados estudos nacionais e internacionais que medem o impacto da implementação de políticas governamentais de rotulagem de alimentos na redução ou contenção dos níveis de excesso de peso ou obesidade. Verifica-se que, embora os mecanismos de rotulagem conduzam a uma redução global do consumo de produtos ultra processados e ajudem as indústrias a incorporar mais nutrientes nos seus alimentos, o seu consumo não é erradicado porque a população com menos renda não tem melhores alternativas para substituí-los. Ademais, políticas complementares são necessárias, como incentivos aos mercados alternativos, e com subsídios e impostos sobre os alimentos ultraprocessados.

Why Do People Misdiagnose Themselves with Food Hypersensitivity? An Exploration of the Role of Biopsychosocial Factors

Up to 35% of people self-diagnose food allergy or intolerance (food hypersensitivity [FH]), or diagnose it in their child, and self-manage the condition rather than seek a clinical diagnosis. This is much higher than the latest FH prevalence rate, estimated to affect 2–5% of the general population. The actual prevalence rate may be underestimated due to the lack of diagnostic services; however, this can only account for a small proportion of the discrepancy because only a small percentage of self-reported FH can be clinically confirmed. Many people are therefore misdiagnosing their or their child’s symptoms as FH and needlessly removing foods from their or their child’s diet. There are a number of possible reasons for this misdiagnosis, which can be considered from a biopsychosocial perspective. Psychological factors include a confusion over the diagnosis, coincidental pairing of food and symptom, psychological or psychosomatic reactions, and taste aversions. There are also biological mechanisms that have not been fully considered in food allergy research that may be relevant, such as conditioning of the immune system or stress responses. A social context pertains to a greater awareness of FH due to media coverage and changes in food labelling laws. Any of these theories are plausible, but the research to date has a number of methodological issues. Most studies report on small self-selected samples recruited from clinics and there is a lack of general population data. Studies also tend to be cross-sectional, which does not allow cause and effect to be established. Future research needs to include longitudinal designs that incorporate qualitative elements to enable a detailed exploration of reasons why people self and misdiagnose FH.

Nutritional Regulation and International Trade in APEC Economies: The New Chilean Food Labeling Law

In many countries, economic growth has induced a general change in eating patterns, from high rates of malnutrition, to recurrent obesity problems and other health related issues in the population. Changes to nutritional labeling regulations that are aimed at providing more information to the consumer have been part of the strategy to fight obesity. Mandatory labeling schemes constitute a technical barrier to trade (hereinafter “TBT”), which must respect the principles of the WTO TBT Agreement. This article examines the new Chilean Food Labeling Law and the accompanying regulation in effect since 2016 which together form one of the earliest methods to mandate front-of-pack food labeling, while focusing on its compatibility with WTO law and its implications for other APEC economies. We present a review of the origin and content of the Chilean regulation and the discussion of the WTO TBT Committee, complemented with the analysis of related WTO jurisprudence and the response from the food industry.

Why Do People Misdiagnose Themselves with Food Hypersensitivity? An Exploration of the Role of Biopsychosocial Factors

Up to 35% of people self-diagnose food allergy or intolerance (food hypersensitivity [FH]), or diagnose it in their child, and self-manage the condition rather than seek a clinical diagnosis. This is much higher than the latest FH prevalence rate, estimated to affect 2–5% of the general population. The actual prevalence rate may be underestimated due to the lack of diagnostic services; however, this can only account for a small proportion of the discrepancy because only a small percentage of self-reported FH can be clinically confirmed. Many people are therefore misdiagnosing their or their child’s symptoms as FH and needlessly removing foods from their or their child’s diet. There are a number of possible reasons for this misdiagnosis, which can be considered from a biopsychosocial perspective. Psychological factors include a confusion over the diagnosis, coincidental pairing of food and symptom, psychological or psychosomatic reactions, and taste aversions. There are also biological mechanisms that have not been fully considered in food allergy research that may be relevant, such as conditioning of the immune system or stress responses. A social context pertains to a greater awareness of FH due to media coverage and changes in food labelling laws. Any of these theories are plausible, but the research to date has a number of methodological issues. Most studies report on small self-selected samples recruited from clinics and there is a lack of general population data. Studies also tend to be cross-sectional, which does not allow cause and effect to be established. Future research needs to include longitudinal designs that incorporate qualitative elements to enable a detailed exploration of reasons why people self and misdiagnose FH.

Food Labeling Law

Food Labeling Law

The Non-Trivial Regulation of Nutrition Labels: An Exploratory Analysis of the Chilean Experience

Disclosure as a regulatory technique faces strong criticisms. However, regulators keep relying on this technique to remedy market failures. Obesity is not an exception. Ultra-processed food dominates our diet, despite being a main cause of overweight and obesity. Overweight and obesity, in turn, are major risk factors for many chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cancer. Nutrition labels are a type of disclosure. The empirical evidence of their effectiveness is mixed. This might be because nutrition labels have to deal with consumers' lack of literacy and/or information overload. Regulatory simplification can be an alternative to enhance label's efficacy. However, current criticisms of disclosure also reach its simplified forms, predicting that simpler labels will not have an effect on consumer behavior. Chile's new food labeling law incorporates a warning-signs model to alert consumers of foods and drinks containing sugar, fat, sodium, and calories levels above a certain threshold. This paper provides an exploratory impact assessment of this law, casting doubt on the skeptics' view of the inefficacy of simplified disclosures. I mostly base this analysis on information available online (i.e., impact assessment surveys; newspaper articles; stakeholder presentations). However, I also conducted field interviews with key actors to complement, and corroborate, the information available on the internet. The Chilean experience is still recent; however, it shows that simpler disclosures can have a significant effect on consumer behavior. This is a (or descriptive) claim. Although generalizations are hard to make, consumers tend to prefer products with no (or fewer) labels. Accordingly, only one year after the new labeling law was enacted, more than 1,500 products have modified their composition. This is despite warning labels appearing to impact only well-educated consumers. This may be causing an externality on less-educated consumers in some markets, probably a positive one, in many cases. On a normative level, the impact of the new labeling regulation on the nutritional value of food is still unclear. The strategies to reach the safe harbors may not only decrease the intake of ingredients subject to control but also the nutritional value of food. Further research should provide a more specific snapshot of how particular markets reacted to the new labeling law. In addition, consumers might be drawing incorrect inferences from the warning labels. The main objective of this article is to show that consumers are not indifferent or unreactive to food warning labels. Precisely because of this, law-makers should be careful in designing regulations that consider not only how consumers will respond to the warning-labels, but also how industry participants will react to supply products with no (or fewer) labels.

A patient-specific approach to develop an exclusion diet to manage food allergy in infants and children.

Food allergy is becoming increasingly common in infants and young children. This article set out to explain the different factors that should be taken into account during an individualized allergy consultation: Foods to avoid and degree of avoidance, suitable alternatives, self-management skills, co- and cross-reactive allergens and novel allergens alongside the role of the industry in allergen avoidance, importance of nutritional aspects of the diet and the future directions that nutritional guidance make take. Allergy management advice should be individualized to provide a patient-specific approach. Changes in the management of food allergies have in particular occurred in nut, milk and egg allergies over the past few years. There has also been a progressive increase in our understanding of cross-reactivity between different foods and also food and aero-allergens. A patient-specific approach of allergen avoidance should consider factors relating to industry and the environment such as food and nutrition literacy, threshold levels, cross-contact/contamination and safe eating away from home. Increasing migration and travel has also led to exposure of unfamiliar foods. As understanding improves on individual allergens and threshold levels, food labels and food labelling laws are affected. Allergy specialist dietitians should also keep up to date with the latest information on nutrition, the gut microbiome and the immune system to incorporate nutrition strategies in a dietetic consultation using an evidence-based approach.

PROTOCOL: Impact of the food environment on diet-related health outcomes in school-age children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.

PROTOCOL: Impact of the food environment on diet-related health outcomes in school-age children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.