Better food labeling could reduce illness, study finds

Improving the labeling of nutritional warnings on food packages can help reduce diseases related to malnutrition, reveals a study published this Thursday (1st).

Adopting best practices in the front-end nutrition labeling (FOPNL) system can help reduce cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and some cancers, details a study by the University of Nevada, Reno and the Organization Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), the latter said in a statement.

The study, published in the Lancet Regional Health Americas, analyzed the evolution of these practices in the region, where, of the 35 PAHO member countries, 30 have formally introduced this type of labeling.

To increase impact, for example, you might want to increase the size of the warnings, use a contrasting background for better visibility, and use the term “too much” instead of “high on”.

The purpose of front labeling is “to help the population understand the nutritional content of products, reduce consumption of ultra-processed and processed foods with excess fat, sugar and/or salt and, ultimately, help consumers make healthier choices “, explains Opas.

The survey revealed that this improved labeling is being used more and more.

Cited in the note, physician Eric Crosbie, co-author of the study and professor at the University of Nevada, states that “the dissemination of best practices in the region” has been shown to “improve the nutritional quality of purchases and has been associated with better diet quality, which in turn is associated with a reduction in the risk of NCDs”, non-communicable diseases.

Fabio da Silva Gomes, also a co-author and PAHO advisor, agrees that this labeling “has evolved in the Americas”.