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Labeling Regulations

Chilean Products with Warning Labels

Simple, mandatory front-of-package warning labels help consumers quickly and easily identify unhealthy foods and drinks and make healthier choices from the vast array of products available. Studies show that requiring FOP warning labels on unhealthy products can contribute to reduced purchases of junk foods and concerning nutrients and ingredients.

Brazil

Read more about our work in Brazil

Resolution of the Collegiate Board 429 and Normative Instruction 75 | Passed October 9, 2020

Front-of-package warning labels

The National Agency of Sanitary Surveillance (ANVISA) published new regulations on nutrition labeling of packaged food products in October, 2020. They will go into effect in October, 2022 and will require front-of-package warning labels on packaged foods and beverages that exceed set levels of sugar, saturated fat, or sodium content per 100g (foods) or 100mL (beverages). The new model does not include warnings for non- caloric sweeteners, but it will limit the use of health claims in certain circumstances: Foods and drinks with warning labels for a given nutrient may no longer carry claims related to that nutrient. For example, products with a warning label for high saturated fat content cannot also use claims regarding fat (total, saturated, or trans fats or cholesterol).

More information

Chile

Read more about our work in Chile

Ley 20.606 | Implemented June 27, 2016

Law of Food Labeling and Advertising

This law introduced mandatory front-of package labeling, marketing restrictions, and school sales/marketing policies, which all use same nutrient profiling model to identify which products are subject to regulation. Packaged food and beverage products containing added sugars, sodium, or saturated fat and exceeding set thresholds for content of total sugar, sodium, saturated fat, or overall calories are considered “high in” products subject to all regulations. The law was implemented in three phases (in June of 2016, 2018, and 2019) with increasingly strict nutrient thresholds.

  • Front-of-package warning labels: “High in” products must carry black octagon “stop sign” octagonal warning labels for each nutrient in excess of thresholds (calories, sugar, saturated fat, and/or sodium). Products with a “high in” warning label for a given nutrient/calories cannot carry a health/nutrient claim related to that nutrient (or calorie content).
  • Marketing restrictions: “High in” products may not use child-directed marketing strategies or appeals in any media/marketing (including use of brand characters on packaging);
    • May not advertise during children’s programming (TV, cinema, online) or when child audience share >20%;
    • May not advertise on TV from 6 a.m. – 10 p.m. (2018 update; read in Spanish | English); and
    • Must carry warning message if advertised outside of restricted hours/programming.
  • School sales & marketing: “High in” products cannot be marketed, sold, or offered for free at kiosks, cafeterias, and feeding programs at schools and nurseries.

Read law in: Spanish | English

Chile Cereal Boxes

Colombia

Read more about our work in Colombia

Ley 2120 | Implemented December 16, 2022

Front-of-package warning labels

Colombia's front-of-package warning labelsLaw 2120, also referred to as the Law for Promotion of Healthy Food Environments and NCD Prevention or the "Junk Food Law," requires warning labels to appear on the front of ultra-processed foods and beverages that exceed the maximum content of sodium, sugar, saturated fats, trans fats set by the Colombian Ministry of Health and Social Protection or that contain any added sweeteners. Additionally, any product with one or more warning labels cannot make nutritional or health claims.

Read Law 2120 in Spanish; read Resolution 2492 regulating Law 2120 (Spanish; English)

Mexican flag

Mexico

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Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010 | Implemented October 1, 2020

Front-of-package warning labels

This amendment to NOM-051 mandates that foods and beverages containing added sugar, fat, or sodium that exceed thresholds set by the Ministry of Health for energy, sugar, saturated fat, trans fat, or sodium content must carry warning labels indicating that the product contains an "excess” of that nutrient. The nutritional criteria will grow increasingly strict under Phase II implementation (October 2023 – October 2025). Additionally, the warning labels must be accompanied by warning messages that they are harmful to children if they contain any amount of added caffeine or non-sugar sweeteners: “Contains sweeteners — not recommended for children” or ‘Contains caffeine — avoid giving to children.”

Read law in English

Mexico FOP Warning Labels
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Peru

Read more about our work in Peru

Law on the Promotion of a Healthy Diet (Law 30021 / Supreme Decree No. 012-2018-SA) | Implemented June 1, 2019

Decree on Health Warnings on the Promotion of Healthy Eating among Children and Adolescents

  • Front-of-package warning labels: Processed foods and beverages with total sugar, saturated fat, or sodium content exceeding set thresholds and/or containing any added trans fats must carry black octagon “stop sign” warning labels for each nutrient in excess of thresholds.
  • Inclusion of warnings in other media:
    • Ads with fixed and moving images will carry warnings.
    • Radio and audiovisual media: warnings must be clearly, prominently and understandably recorded.
Peru Warning Labels

South African flag

South Africa

Read more about our work in South Africa

Developing

Front-of-package warning labels

After conducting focus groups to test and determine the most effect shape, color, and style for the proposed warning labels, researchers in South Africa conducted a randomized controlled trial to test the warning label alongside a traffic light label and Guideline Daily Amounts label. This experiment was led by Rina Swart as part of a Department of Health task force. UWC compiled an extensive technical report that summarized all of their research on nutrient profiling models and front-of-package labels, which they presented to the National Department of Health with their evidence-based policy recommendations.

The Department of Health released a draft front-of-package warning label regulation in April 2023, which was originally open for public comment through July 2023. This deadline was extended to September 21, 2023.

Resources

Front-of-package labeling

Fact sheet describing how front-of-package (FOP) labels can help consumers make informed, healthier choices and encourage industry to improve the nutritional profile of their products and portfolios. Learn about the evidence for different FOP labels, what types of labels are in use around the world today, and key elements to consider when developing and implementing an effective FOP labelling policy.

Front-of-package labeling

Series of maps showing interpretive labels used on food and beverage packages around around the world. These maps feature national-level, mandatory front-of-package labeling policies as well as government-endorsed voluntary labels. This resource includes a map highlighting countries with front-of-package warning label policies.

Nutrition-related claims on fruit drinks

Fruit drinks (fruit-flavored beverages that contain added sweeteners) are the most popular sugar drink among infants and young children, despite expert recommendations that this age group should not consume any drinks with added sugar. This Fact sheet summarizes findings from three studies that examined nutrition claims made on fruit drink packages and how claims impact […]

Ultra-processed foods

Fact sheet describing ultra-processed foods and drinks and the threat they pose to public health worldwide as they make up increasingly greater portions of the global diet. Learn how to identify ultra-processed products; review the evidence for their association with a multitude of risk factors, diseases, and mortality; and explore policy options to reduce consumption. […]

Publications

Designing Front-of-Package labels to inform consumers and encourage healthier food choices in Bangladesh: A qualitative study
Authors: Lindsey Smith Taillie, Ahmad Khairul Abrar, Ummay Afroza, Jubaida Akhtar, Violet Noe, Nicole Ide, Nora Abdel-Gawad, Sohel Reza Choudhury
Published in: Nutrients, November 21, 2024 view full text

The case for mandatory – not voluntary – front-of-package nutrition labels
Authors: Lindsey Smith Taillie, Ana Clara Duran
Published in: Bulletin World Health Organization, October 1, 2024 view full text

Decreases in purchases of energy, sodium, sugar, and saturated fat 3 years after implementation of the Chilean food labeling and marketing law: An interrupted time series analysis
Authors: Lindsey Smith Taillie, Maxime Bercholz, Barry Popkin, Natalia Rebolledo, Marcela Reyes, Camila Corvalan
Published in: PLOS Medicine, September 27, 2024 view full text

Evolution of food and beverage prices after the front-of-package labelling regulations in Chile
Authors: Guillermo Paraje, Daniela Montes de Oca, Camila Corvalán, Barry M. Popkin
Published in: BMJ Global Health, July 3, 2023 view full text

Design and approval of the nutritional warnings policy in Peru: Milestones, key stakeholders, and policy drivers for its approval
Authors: Francisco Diez-Canseco, Victoria Cavero, Juan Alvarez Cano, Lorena Saavedra-Garcia, Lindsey Smith Taillie, Francesca R. Dillman Carpentier, J. Jaime Miranda
Published in: PLOS Global Public Health, June 16, 2023 view full text

Framing a new nutrition policy: Changes on key stakeholder’s discourses throughout the implementation of the Chilean Food Labelling Law
Authors: Fernanda Mediano, Camila Fierro, Camila Corvalán, Marcela Reyes, Teresa Correa
Published in: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, May 1, 2023 view full text

Changes in children’s and adolescents’ dietary intake after the implementation of Chile’s law of food labeling, advertising and sales in schools: a longitudinal study
Authors: Gabriela Fretes, Camila Corvalán, Marcela Reyes, Lindsey Smith Taillie, Christina D. Economos, Norbert L.W. Wilson, Sean B. Cash
Published in: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, April 4, 2023 view full text

Socioeconomic patterns in budget share allocations of regulated foods and beverages in Chile: a longitudinal analysis
Authors: Guillermo Paraje, Daniela Montes de Oca, Camila Corvalán, and Barry Popkin
Published in: Nutrients, January 29, 2023 view full text

Employment and wage effects of sugar-sweetened beverage taxes and front-of-package warning label regulations on the food and beverage industry: Evidence from Peru
Authors: Juan-José Díaz, Alan Sánchez, Francisco Diez-Canseco, J. Jaime Miranda, Barry
M. Popkin
Published in: Food Policy, January 20, 2023 view full text

Reformulation of top-selling processed and ultra-processed foods and beverages in the Peruvian food supply after front-of-package warning label policy
Authors: Lorena Saavedra-Garcia, Mayra Meza-Hernández, Francisco Diez-Canseco, Lindsey Smith Taillie
Published in: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, December 27, 2022 view full text

Effect of different front-of-package food labels on identification of unhealthy products and intention to purchase the products – A randomised controlled trial in South Africa
Authors: Makoma Bopape, Jeroen De Man, Lindsey Smith Taillie, Shu Wen Ng, Nandita Murukutla, Rina Swart
Published in: Appetite, August 24, 2022 (online ahead of print) view full text

Perceived effect of warning label on parental food purchasing and drivers of food selection among South African parents — An exploratory study
Authors: Makoma Bopape, Lindsey Smith Taillie, Rina Swart
Published in: Frontiers in Public Health, August 5, 2022 view full text

Applying and comparing various nutrient profiling models against the packaged food supply in South Africa
Authors: Tamryn Frank, Shu Wen Ng, Donna R. Miles, Elizabeth C. Swart
Published in: Public Health Nutrition, February 16, 2022 view full text

Front-of-pack labeling in Chile: Effects on employment, real wages, and firms’ profits after three years of its implementation
Authors: Guillermo Paraje, Daniela Montes de Oca, Juan Marcos Wlasiuk, Mario Canales, Barry M. Popkin
Published in: Nutrients, January 11, 2022 view full text

Youth's diets at school after implementation of Chile's Food Labeling and Advertising Law
Authors: Gabriela Fretes, Camila Corvalan, Marcela Reyes, Christina Economos, Lindsey Smith Taillie, Norbert Wilson, Sean Cash
Published in: Obesity, December 1, 2021 view full text

Changes in the use of nonnutritive sweeteners in the Chilean food and beverage supply after the implementation of the Food Labeling and Advertising Law
Authors: Ricardo C. Zancheta, Camila Corvalán, Lindsey Smith Taillie, Vilma Quitral, Marcela Reyes
Published in: Frontiers in Nutrition | Nutrition and Food Science Technology, November 8, 2021 view full text

South African consumers' perceptions of front-of-package warning labels on unhealthy foods and drinks
Authors: Makoma Bopape, Lindsey Smith Taillie, Tamryn Frank, Nandita Murukutla, Trish Cotter, Luyanda Majija, Rina Swart
Published in: PLOS ONE, September 27, 2021 view full text

The influence of front-of-package nutrition labeling on consumer behavior and product reformulation
Authors: Christina A. Roberto, Shu Wen Ng, Montserrat Ganderats-Fuentes, David Hammond, Simón Barquera, Alejandra Jauregui, Lindsey Smith Taillie
Published in: Annual Review of Nutrition, August 2, 2021  view full text

Sugar-sweetened beverage reduction policies: Progress and promise
Authors: James Krieger, Sara Bleich, Stephanie Scarmo, and Shu Wen Ng
Published in: Annual Review of Public Health, April 1, 2021 view full text

The effects of the Chilean food policy package on aggregate employment and real wages
Authors: Guillermo Paraje, Arantxa Colchero, Juan Marcos Wlasiuk, Antonio Martner Sota, Barry M. Popkin
Published in: Food Policy, April 1, 2021 view full text

Designing an effective front-of-package warning label for food and drinks high in added sugar, sodium, or saturated fat in Colombia: An online experiment
Authors: Lindsey Smith Taillie, Marissa G. Hall, Luis Fernando Gómez, Isabella Higgins, Maxime Bercholz, Nandita Murukutla, Mercedes Mora-Plazas
Published in: Nutrients, October 13, 2020 view full text

Changes in the amount of nutrient of packaged foods and beverages after the initial implementation of the Chilean Law of Food Labelling and Advertising: A nonexperimental prospective study
Authors: Marcela Reyes, Lindsey Smith Taillie, Barry M Popkin, Rebecca Kanter, Stefanie Vandevijvere, Camila Corvalán
Published in: PLOS Medicine, July 28, 2020 view full text

An evaluation of Chile’s Law of Food Labeling and Advertising on sugar-sweetened beverage purchases from 2015 to 2017: A before-and-after study
Authors: Lindsey S. Taillie, Marcela Reyes, Michelle A. Colchero, Barry M. Popkin, Camila Corvalán
Published in: PLOS Med, February 11, 2020 view full text

Conflicting messages on food and beverage packages: Front-of-package nutritional labeling, health and nutrition claims in Brazil
Authors: Ana C. Duran, Camila Z. Ricardo, Lais A. Mais, Ana P. B. Martins, Lindsey S. Taillie
Published in: Nutrients, December 5 2020 view full text

Responses to the Chilean Law of Food Labeling and Advertising: Exploring knowledge, perceptions and behaviors of mothers of young children
Authors: Teresa Correa, Camila Fierro, Marcela Reyes, Francesca R. D. Carpentier, Lindsey S. Taillie, Camila Corvalan
Published in: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 2019 view full text

Structural responses to the obesity and non‐communicable diseases epidemic: Update on the Chilean law of food labelling and advertising
Authors: Camila Corvalán, Marcela Reyes, Maria L. Garmendia, Ricardo Uauy
Published in: Obesity Reviews, March 2019 view full text

The effects of traffic light labelling versus cartoon labelling on food and beverage purchases in a children’s hospital setting
Authors: Whitt OR, Jilcott Pitts SB, Rafferty AP, Payne CR, Shu Wen Ng
Published in: Pediatric Obesity, July 28 2017 view full text

Trends in added sugars from packaged beverages available to and purchased by US households in 2007-2012
Authors: Shu Wen Ng, Jessica Ostrowski, Kuo-ping Li
Published in: Am J. Clinical Nutrition, June 7 2017 view full text

US food industry progress during the national salt reduction initiative: 2009–2014
Authors: Christine J. Curtis, Jennifer Clapp, Sarah A. Niederman, Shu Wen Ng, Sonia Y. Angell
Published in: American Journal of Public Health, October 2016 view full text

Where people shop is not associated with the nutrient quality of packaged foods for any racial-ethnic group in the United States
Authors: Dalia Stern, Jennifer M. Poti, Shu Wen Ng, Robinson WR, Gordon-Larsen P, Barry M. Popkin
Published in: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, April 2016

Use of caloric and noncaloric sweeteners in US consumer packaged foods, 2005-2009
Authors: Shu Wen Ng, Meghan M. Slining, Barry M Popkin
Published in: Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, November 2012 view full text