After five years of implementation of frontal marking in food in Mexico, a regional consultant in Nutrition and physical activity for America PAKHO/KI, Fabio da Silva GomezOn Monday, he examined that this is a regional “example” and was “effective” to improve the purchase solutions consumers, Although the results of public health are still required to be reflected.
“The assessment that we have conducted over the past five years is that this is a policy that is one of the best practices of our region and inspires other countries that have not yet accepted this measure in America (…) and in the world,” the expert said in an interview.
Dates Silva Gomez He explained that the marking is based on scientific evidence, and he managed to improve key elements regarding previous experience, such as Chile, with more noticeable marks of warning and the profile of nutrients, aligned with the model Panmerican Health Organization (PAKHO).
Thus, he explained that this model allows you to identify products with excess sugar, saturated with fats or sodium, according to the goals of a healthy diet installed World Health Organization (WHO).
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For this reason, he emphasized that Mexico received a prize from United working group of the United Nations for impossible diseasesIt is to coordinate your marking with the help of international best practices.
Dates Silvia He indicated that various studies in the region showed that octagonal stamps are warning about excess sugar, sodium or saturated fats They are twice more effective when making buying decisions than other marking models, such as a traffic light system Europe
Compared to other countries, such as Brazil, The official said: “Mexico goes forward with the profile of nutrients OPS because (Your marking) It allows you to capture and inform the populations when the product is excessive in critical nutrients, but also allows you to regulate ultra -punished products. “
“Using the OPS nutrients profile, we can confirm that more than 90% of ultra -punished products in Mexico are regulated,” he said and indicated that this type of product has risks and effects throughout the body, from mental health to obesity, various types of cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. ”
The marking results will be reflected in five or ten years
He also emphasized that at this stage of the implementation of the measure in Mexico you can only find out “as purchases Products that are harmful “But to measure the real impact on public healthcare, it takes more time.
“We should have a strict policy supported over time in order to achieve this result of reverse obesity and inferior diseases associated with poor nutrition,” he said.
However, he said that “with the evidence that we have today, we can confirm that Mexico is in a good direction. “
“Although we hope, we must monitor how we change purchases and food,” he said, and believed that five to ten years after this change we can expect that the results can be expected in the field of public health, as a reduction in obesity and diabetes, especially in childhood.
In this sense, the expert celebrated politics Ultraproprocessor restriction In schools recently implemented by the Mexico government, supplementing the labeling of the front in the framework “A package of decisions (…) to take the population.”
Finally give Silvia He warned that there are food supplements, such as Artificial coloringThis is harmful to health, so he considered it necessary to think about the following steps to regulate them, from including them in the front seals in order to prohibit them.
“The option is to have a printing of warnings, which may indicate that this product is an ultraporocyst, including (…) dyes, and there is also a warning about sweeteners or caffeine,” he concluded.
With information EFE.
