/nutrition-and-food-safety-(nfs)/multisectoral-action-in-food-systems-(afs)/nutrition-labelling-policies.tmb-1200v.png?sfvrsn=8f6b0d2a_1 "Launch event for the public consultation on the draft WHO guideline on nutrition labelling policies")
Background
Unhealthy diets are a leading cause of death and disability and currently cause 8 million premature deaths globally every year1. Unhealthy diets are exacerbated by current food environments, which have increasing availability, accessibility, affordability and marketing of foods that are high in saturated fats, trans-fats, sugars or salt and are usually highly processed2.
Nutrition labelling has the power to modify the production and consumption of food, including prepackaged food. Given shifts in the global food system and transitions in diet towards prepackaged food, labelling is now not only a primary communication tool but also a valuable marketing asset used to influence decision-making. A government-led, evidence-based and transparent approach to nutrition labelling policies is therefore required.
In response to Member State requests, WHO developed a draft guideline to strengthen and streamline support for Member States in developing and implementing new, or strengthening existing, nutrition labelling policies. The recommendations in the draft guideline were formulated based on evidence from a systematic review of the impacts of the in-scope nutrition labelling policies including a list of ingredients, nutrient declarations, front-of-pack labelling and nutrition and health claims, as well as evidence from a review of relevant contextual factors (e.g. resource implications, equity and human rights, acceptability and feasibility).
The next step to finalize this guideline is to hold a public consultation to gather feedback from diverse stakeholders.
The Department of Nutrition and Food Safety (NFS) is holding a webinar to launch the public consultation, which will run from 09 September 12.30 (CEST) to 11 October 23.59 (CEST) 2024.
During the virtual launch event, we will:
- Describe the guideline development process and explain the public consultation procedure.
- Share the evidence that informed the development of the guideline.
- Introduce the draft good practice statements, recommendations and remarks.
For more information on the public consultation process click here
Technical contact
For technical questions, please email [email protected] with the subject “Nutrition labelling”.
References
1 Global burden of 87 risk factors in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
2 The global obesity pandemic: shaped by global drivers and local environments
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