Indeed, research has consistently shown that food choices are heavily influenced by our surroundings, affordability and availability.
Better labels
What makes this particularly troubling is ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are tweaked by manufacturers to make them as irresistible as possible – and, as some increasingly point out, addictive. This is despite the increasing understanding of the link between UPFs and adverse health outcomes – even an early death.
Making this abundantly clear on food labels can and does cause behavioral change. In 2016, Chile implemented mandatory black labels on products to indicate that they were high in sugar, salt or calories. This resulted in a 23.8% decline in purchases of products high in calories.
This has already been implemented in several countries in central America, and has led to greater consumer awareness, according to FabioGomes, an advisor at the Pan American Health Organization, an international public health agency. “It’s the minimum [information] we need to provide to consumers,” he stated at a recent conference hosted by Imperial College London. Even a small resulting reduction in UPF consumption would be a benefit, he added.
READ MORE ON THE NEXT PAGE..
