Consumers want to see mandatory warning labels on food to help them in the battle against obesity, hypertension and diabetes.
A study published this week by local and international researchers found that attention-grabbing labels could encourage informed food choices in SA, which is yet to implement front-of-packaging warning labels despite drafting regulations in 2014.
Researcher Makoma Bopape, a senior lecturer in the University of Limpopo's human nutrition and dietetics department, said participants felt warning labels were easy to understand, provide important nutritional information and could save shopping time.
"SA has rising levels of obesity and related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The Covid pandemic, with higher rates of death and serious illness among people living with obesity and NCDs, has highlighted the urgent need to address this crisis," she said.
"This occurs at a time when unhealthy ultra-processed products high in energy, sugar, salt and saturated fats are increasingly available in the marketplace ... Consumers find it more and more difficult to differentiate healthy and unhealthy products and a system is needed to inform food choices."
Professor Rina Swart of the University of the Western Cape (UWC) dietetics and nutrition department said 30 countries had adopted or were considering front-of-pack warning labels.
"SA has the opportunity to also pursue this policy. Both Chile and Mexico have developed strong warning label policies," she said. "Chile's landmark law of food labelling and advertising, implemented in 2016, has led to positive behaviour change, a decrease in the consumption of unhealthy food and drinks and a shift towards products with less sugar, sodium and fats.
"Mexico is the first country to have included a label warning recommending that children should not consume products with artificial sweeteners."
UWC school of public health researcher Tamryn Frank said the health department's 2014 draft regulations on food labelling were never finalised. "This research allows the perfect opportunity for the department of health to update their regulations, with science to back their policy initiatives, especially as they have indicated that they would like to include warning labels in their updated regulations," she said.
The department of health did not respond to queries but nongovernmental organisation Healthy Living Alliance (Heala) said it was pushing the department "to commit to a clear plan with time lines on when the regulation will be finalised - including a public comments process".
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE HI-RES VERSION OF THE GRAPHIC BELOW
Heala head Nzama Mbalati said: "We demand political commitment and transparency from the department on the process and implementation of the food warning labels."
In 2019, Heala launched #whatsinmyfood, a campaign to educate the public about the health dangers of high sugar, salt and fat content, especially in ultra-processed packaged food. "Our campaign encourages people to demand information on food packages that is simple and easy to understand so consumers may be empowered to make healthier food choices and avoid developing life-threatening NCDs like diabetes and heart disease," said Mbalati.
Packaged goods company Tiger Brands said it supported front-of-pack labelling systems. "As part of the Tiger Brands Eat Well Live Well initiative, most of our food products include guideline daily amounts on the pack to give consumers an indication of the percentage of high-risk nutrients that a product contains per serving," said spokesperson Becky Opdyke.
"In SA we face dietary challenges linked to under-nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, while a significant percentage of South Africans are overweight or obese ... Front-of-pack labelling in the South African context should support these efforts."
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.