Food labeling in Mexico explained

Short Title:Food labeling in Mexico
Legislature:LXI Legislature of the Mexican Congress
Long Title:NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010
Territorial Extent:Nationwide
Enacted By:Government of Mexico
Date Enacted:2010
Status:Current

Food labeling in Mexico refers to the official norm that mainly consists of placing labels on processed food sold in the country in order to help consumers make a better purchasing decision based on nutritional criteria. The system was approved in 2010 under the Norma Oficial Mexicana (NOM) (often shortened to NOM-051).[1] The standards, denominated as Daily Dietary Guidelines (Spanish: Spanish; Castilian: Guías Diarias de Alimentación or GDA), were based on the total amount of saturated fats (Spanish; Castilian: grasas saturadas), fats (Spanish; Castilian: grasas), sodium (Spanish; Castilian: sodio), sugars (Spanish; Castilian: azúcares) and energy or calories (Spanish; Castilian: calorías) represented in kilocalories per package, the percentage they represented per individual portion, as well as the percentage that they would represent in a daily intake.

After its implementation, several studies were carried out to determine whether its execution was effective. The results indicated that most respondents were unaware of the recommended intakes, did not understand the meaning of the values indicated by the system, and that they did not use the system to shop. Further, when questioning undergraduate nutrition students, most were unable to interpret the system correctly. Because of this, the Secretariat of Health looked for alternatives to the system. In 2016, Chile published a simplified food labeling system, which inspired the creation of a similar system for Mexico.

In 2020, the system was reworked and updated with the Food and Beverage Front-of-Package Labeling System (Spanish: Spanish; Castilian: Sistema de Etiquetado Frontal de Alimentos y Bebidas; SEFAB) which was developed and implemented by the (INSP).[2] In 2020, labeling standards were applied to 85% of the food products consumed in Mexico,[3] one of the most obese countries in the world.

Development

Background

See main article: Obesity in Mexico. The opening to foreign food industry capital since the 1980s and the entry into force of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994 led to an increasing import of industrially processed foods into Mexico. Both resulted in an irreversible rupture in Mexico's eating habits and a sudden increase in obesity in the country. In the 1980s, the obesity rate was 7%.[4] Since then, Mexico became the country with the highest consumption of processed foods in Latin America and the fourth-highest in the world.[5]

First front-of-package labeling system

In 2010, the Secretariat of Health (SALUD) requested the establishment of a food labeling norm. After its approval, it was designed as NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010 of the Norma Oficial Mexicana standards, and it was denominated as Daily Dietary Guidelines (Spanish: Guías Diarias de Alimentación or GDA), was based on the total amount of saturated fats (Spanish; Castilian: grasas saturadas), fats (Spanish; Castilian: grasas), sodium (Spanish; Castilian: sodio), sugars (Spanish; Castilian: azúcares) and energy (Spanish; Castilian: calorías) represented in kilocalories per package, the percentage they represented per individual portion, as well as the percentage that they would represent in a daily intake.[6]

The (INSP) started in 2011 to investigate the effectiveness of the labeling system. They found that it was ineffective as most nutrition college students could not interpret it correctly.[6] In 2016, the National Health and Nutrition Survey (Spanish: Spanish; Castilian: Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición; ENSANUT) was performed. It included questions related to the comprehension of the GDA food labeling system, and the results determined that nationwide the surveyed people understood the system poorly. The INSP specified that 97.6% of respondents did not know the appropriate values for calorie intake in children aged 10 to 12 years; over 90% claimed not to know the daily values of calories to be consumed by an adult person, as they lacked the right information to compare or decide a purchase based on the information available; and 66.4% said they never used the GDA system to base their purchases.[7] In the same year, according to a survey by the INSP and the University of Waterloo, Ontario, 6% of the consulted adults were able to understand the GDA system.[6]

The government of Mexico applied the 2013 National Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Overweight, Obesity and Diabetes (Spanish: Spanish; Castilian: Estrategia Nacional para la Prevención y el Control del Sobrepeso, la Obesidad y la Diabetes),[8] a series of measures by the government of Mexico aimed at combating the obesity crisis and chronic non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes or cancer. According to the document "[t]he current levels of overweight and obesity in the Mexican population represent a threat to the sustainability of our health system, due to their association with non-communicable diseases and the use of specialized resources and higher technology that impose high costs on health services for their care". The statistics indicated that 42.6% of males over 20 years were overweight and 26.8% were obese. Women in the same categories represented 35.5% and 37.5%, respectively.[8] By 2018, 75% of adults were overweight or obese.[9]

Second front-of-package labeling system

In 2016, the government of Chile approved the Food Labeling and Advertising Law, a regulation that uses simplified and visible warning labels that indicate the excess of calories and added nutrients and ingredients related to non-communicable diseases. Inspired by their system, the INSP decided to form a committee of national academic experts on the front-of-package labeling of food and non-alcoholic beverages in order to define a new regulation.[6] The Secretariat of Economy (SE) and the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk held organized working groups which resulted in a standard draft, which was submitted for consultation from 11 October to 10 December 2019, where 5,200 comments were received.[10] Simultaneously, civil society organizations created the Alianza por la Salud Alimentaria (Alliance for Food Health), which carried out a public campaign to inform the population about the efforts.[9]

On 29 October 2019, reforms and additions to the Mexican General Health Law were approved, including the new front-of-package labeling model. On 27 March 2020, the Official Journal of the Federation published in the norm NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010 updates that determined that all food and non-alcoholic beverage packaging and containers must display the approved seals.

Labels

The labels implemented are black octagons with white letters that seek to inform in a simple way about high amounts of sugars, energy, trans fats and saturated fats. Two rectangular legends were also included on the discouragement of the consumption of foods containing caffeine or sweeteners in children. These labels can be presented individually or in groups of labels, which will determine whether or not the product can include certain persuasive elements such as toys or rewards, or pictures of celebrities, fictional characters or cartoons on the packaging that seek to attract the attention of the underaged sector.[11] Further, if the product has one or more seals, it cannot include endorsements from medical societies.[12]

!Label!Translation!Application parameters!Risks and diseases associated with its consumption!Suggested intake
Excessive calories
  • When 100g of food contain an amount greater than or equal to .
  • When 100ml of beverage contain an amount greater than or equal to 70kcal total or 10kcal of free sugars.
  • 2500kcal in men.
  • 2000kcal in women.[16]
Excessive sugar
  • When 100g or 100ml of product (food or beverage) has an amount greater than or equal to 10% of the total energy provided by free sugars.
  • Reduced intake of free sugars over a lifetime and at all ages to less than 10% of total caloric intake (less than 5% is desirable).[21]
Excessive sodium
  • When 100g of food contain an amount greater than or equal to 350mg of sodium.[22]
  • When 100ml of beverage contain an amount greater than or equal to 350mg of sodium. If it is a non-caloric beverage, when its amount of sodium is larger than 45mg.
  • No more than 2g of sodium (equivalent to 5abbr=onNaNabbr=on of salt) per day.[28]
Excessive saturated fats
  • When 100g of food has an amount greater than or equal to 10% of the total energy provided by saturated fats.
  • When 100ml of beverage has an amount greater than or equal to 10% of the total energy provided by saturated fats.
  • Increased risk of developing strokes and cardiovascular diseases[29]
  • Less than 10% of the daily kilocalorie intake of a diet should come from saturated fats.[30]
Excessive trans fats
  • When 100g of food has an amount greater than or equal to 1% of the total energy provided by trans fats.
  • When 100ml of beverage has an amount greater than or equal to 1% of the total energy provided by trans fats.
  • Less than 1% of the daily kilocalorie intake of a diet should come from trans fats. Given their negative health effects, the WHO has promoted the eradication of industrially processed trans fats from the global food supply.[36]
Contains (artificial) sweeteners. Not recommended for children.
  • If the product (food or beverage) contains sweeteners.
  • Creates dependence on sweetness in children[37]
  • In children, less than 6% of the daily kilocalorie intake.[38]
Contains caffeine. Not recommended for children.
  • If the product (food or beverage) contains caffeine.
  • Sleep disturbances[39]
  • Stomachaches
  • Difficulties in concentration
  • Increased heart rate
  • Seizures
  • Less than 400mg per day.[40]
1/2/3/4/5 labels
  • When the package's surface is smaller than 40cm2, a label indicating the total number of seals a larger package would have shall be used.

In addition to these seals, packaging must contain nutrition facts labels including the exact amount of sugars added to the product in the manufacturing process and the nutritional content expressed in quantities of 100 grams or 100 milliliters.[10]

Reception

Companies

The governments of the United States, Canada, Switzerland, and the European Union—where the largest multinational food corporations in the world are based—asked Mexico through the World Trade Organization to postpone the implementation date of the front labeling. According to the note issued to Mexico, the measures were "more restrictive than necessary to meet Mexico's legitimate health objectives".[5] The Mexican Consumer Products Industry Council (Spanish; Castilian: Consejo Mexicano de la Industria de Productos de Consumo; ConMéxico), which groups companies based in Mexico, asked the authorities to eliminate the new front labeling, describing it as confusing and unreliable. Among the companies that requested the postponement of the labeling were Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Jugos del Valle and Grupo Bimbo.[41] The latter was able to have some of its products exempted due to its own health strategy.[42] FEMSA, Coca-Cola producer in Mexico, filed an amparo lawsuit against the labeling of their products.[43] An amparo lawsuit filed by the National Confederation of Industrial Chambers in March 2020 was dismissed by the Mexican judiciary.[44] The Interamerican Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property and the Mexican Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property said that food labeling was unconstitutional and violated the provisions that Mexico had signed at the international level such as the North American Free Trade Agreement.[45] Civil society researchers pointed out the recurrence of the same argument in other countries in order to stop new labeling projects.[9]

Organizations

Among the organizations and entities that celebrated the entry into force of the labeling were the UNICEF,[46] the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization,[47] the National Human Rights Commission of Mexico, the main public universities of the country (the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the National Polytechnic Institute and the Autonomous Metropolitan University), as well as the secretariats of Economy and Health of Mexico, and the System for the Integral Protection of the Rights of Children and Adolescents.[10]

Prizes and recognitions

The World Health Organization the gave SALUD an award for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases due to the front-of-package update.[48] [49]

Impact

On population

In a survey conducted a few days after the second front-of-package system was officially implemented, Food Navigator found that only 10% of respondents took them into consideration.[50] Researches of the Obesity Data Lab agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic in the country would indirectly affect the results.[51]

In 2020, Guadalupe López Rodríguez, nutritionist and researcher of the Autonomous University of Hidalgo State, commented that if the Chilean system is taken as a basis, the labels would have a significant impact on the population during the first stage of implementation. However, over time consumers would become accustomed to them and would cease to give them the desired importance.[52] Cuauhtémoc Rivera, president of the Alianza Nacional de Pequeños Comerciantes (National Alliance of Small Merchants), said that consumers were initially found to avoid products with seals, but that eventually purchases normalized.[53]

After one year in force, it was found that in some categories consumption was reduced, but there was no significant impact on sales. Jonás Murillo, vice-president of the Food, Beverages and Tobacco Commission of the Confederation of Industrial Chambers explained that consumers preferred larger versions of products with labels to smaller ones—which are healthier. In addition, it was noted that in some cases consumers preferred products with a higher number of labels against unlabeled products. Murillo also noted that the key problem of the system is that it was not applied correctly and, as an example, he compared a salad with dressing and a bottle of soft drink concluding that although their nutritional value is different, both have the same number of labels.[54]

On companies

After its implementation, 85% of the products received a label.[3] Despite inconclusive results, several companies (especially soft drinks and dairy companies) have modified the formulas of some products to reduce the risk amounts. In some products, the total number of labels was reduced, and in other cases companies preferred to sell an alternate version of the same product but free of labels.[55] [56]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: MODIFICACIÓN a la Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010, Especificaciones generales de etiquetado para alimentos y bebidas no alcohólicas preenvasados – Información comercial y sanitaria, publicada el 5 de abril de 2010. Diario Oficial de la Federación. es. AMENDMENT to Mexican Official Standard NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010, General Labeling Specifications for Prepackaged Foods and Non-Alcoholic Beverages – Commercial and Sanitary Information, published on 5 April 2010. 27 March 2020. Alfonso Guati. Rojo Sánchez. José Alonso. Novelo Baeza. 10 November 2021.
  2. Web site: Sistema de etiquetado frontal de alimentos y bebidas para México: una estrategia para la toma de decisiones saludables. A front-of-pack labelling system for food and beverages for Mexico: a strategy. es. etal. Barquera, Simón. 29 May 2018. 10 November 2021. Salud Pública.
  3. Web site: 1 October 2020. ¿Qué cambia con el nuevo etiquetado de alimentos en México, inspirado en Chile?. What changes with the new food labeling in Mexico, inspired by Chile?. 10 November 2021. El Universal. es. BBC News.
  4. News: Andrew. Jacobs. Matt. Richtel. 11 December 2017. El TLCAN y su papel en la obesidad en México. es. The New York Times. 10 November 2021. 0362-4331. San Cristóbal de las Casas.
  5. News: Esposito. Anthony. 12 August 2020. Mexico's new warning labels on junk food meet supersized opposition from U.S., EU. Reuters. 10 November 2021.
  6. Web site: Sistema de etiquetado frontal de alimentos y bebidas para México. Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública. Government of Mexico. es. 10 November 2021. Food and Beverage Front-of-Package Labeling System for Mexico.
  7. Web site: Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública. 2 May 2019. Comunicado del Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública de México sobre el amparo indirecto en revisión relacionado con el etiquetado frontal de alimentos. El Poder del Consumidor. Cuernavaca. Announcement from the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico on the indirect injunction on review related to front-of-package food labeling. 17 November 2021.
  8. Web site: Government of Mexico. September 2013. Estrategia Nacional para la Prevención y el Control del Sobrepeso, la Obesidad y la Diabetes. es. Mercedes. Juan López. Mercedes Juan López. 10 November 2021.
  9. White. Mariel. Barquera. Simon. 2 June 2020. Mexico Adopts Food Warning Labels, Why Now?. Health Systems & Reform. 6. 1. e1752063. 10.1080/23288604.2020.1752063. 2328-8604. 32486930. 219283976. free.
  10. Web site: Todo lo que debes saber sobre el nuevo etiquetado de advertencia. 15 November 2021. 12 May 2020. El Poder del Consumidor. es.
  11. White. Mariel. Barquera. Simon. 2020-01-01. Mexico Adopts Food Warning Labels, Why Now?. Health Systems & Reform. 6. 1. e1752063. 10.1080/23288604.2020.1752063. 2328-8604. 32486930. 219283976. free.
  12. Web site: Nuevo etiquetado de los alimentos. Dirección General de Personal. National Autonomous University of Mexico. 6. es. 15 November 2021.
  13. Web site: Causes-Obesity. 23 October 2017. National Health Service. 15 November 2021.
  14. Web site: Risks for High Calorie Intake. San Francisco Gate. 20 December 2018. Krista. Sheehan. 15 November 2021.
  15. Interactions Between Obesity and Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Abel. Romero-Corral. Sean M.. Caples. Francisco. Lopez-Jimenez. Veriend K.. Somers. March 2010. 10.1378/chest.09-0360. Chest. 137. 3. 711–719. 20202954. 3021364.
  16. Web site: What should my daily intake of calories be?. 27 June 2018. National Health Service. 15 November 2021.
  17. Web site: The sweet danger of sugar. 5 November 2019. Harvard Health Publishing. 15 November 2021.
  18. Total and added sugar intakes, sugar types, and cancer risk: results from the prospective NutriNet-Santé cohort. Charlotte. Debras. Eloi. Chazelas. Bernard. Srour. Emmanuelle. Kesse-Guyot. Chantal. Julia. Laurent. Zelek. Cédric. Agaësse. Nathalie. Druesne-Pecollo. Pilar. Galan. Serge. Hercberg. Paule. Latino-Martel. Mélanie. Deschasaux. Mathilde. Touvier. 10.1093/ajcn/nqaa246. Chest. 2020. 112. 5. 1267–1279. 32936868. free.
  19. Web site: What Does Sugar Do To Teeth?. Colgate. 15 November 2021.
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  21. Web site: WHO Sugar Recommendations. 16 November 2021. World Health Organization. 28 October 2021. 17 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211117032627/https://www.ages.at/en/topics/nutrition/who-sugar-recommendations/. dead.
  22. Web site: Alimentos con alto contenido de sodio. PROFECO. 2. Es. 16 November 2021. Government of Mexico.
  23. Dietary salt intake and stroke. 31 December 2012. Ekaterina. Turlova. Feng. Zhong-ping. 10.1038/aps.2012.179. Acta Pharmacologica Sinica. 34. 1. 8–9. 23274412. 4086497.
  24. High Salt Diet Affects Renal Sodium Excretion and ERRα Expression. 17 April 2016. Dan. Wang. Yang. Wang. Fu-Qiang. Liu. Zu-Yi. Yuan. Jian-Jun. Mu. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 17. 4. 480. 10.3390/ijms17040480. 27043552. 4848936. free.
  25. Web site: Diets high in salt could deplete calcium in the body. 24 July 2012. Science Daily. University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. 16 November 2021.
  26. Web site: Heart failure and salt: The great debate. James. Januzzi. Nasrien. Ibrahim. 18 December 2018. Harvard Health Publishing. 16 November 2021.
  27. Sodium Intake and Hypertension. 11 September 2019. Andrea. Grillo. Lucia. Salvi. Paolo. Coruzzi. Paolo. Salvi. Gianfranco. Parati. Nutrients. 11. 9. 1970. 10.3390/nu11091970. 31438636. 6770596. free.
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  29. Web site: Fat: the facts. 27 April 2018. National Health Service. 16 November 2021.
  30. Web site: Fat intake. 16 November 2021. World Health Organization.
  31. Web site: Frequently Asked Questions. Centre for Food Safety. 16 November 2021.
  32. Trans fatty acids (tFA): sources and intake levels, biological effects and content in commercial Spanish food. P. M.. Fernández San Juan. September 2009. Es. Madrid. Nutrición Hospitalaria. 24. 5. 515–520. 19893860. 16 November 2021.
  33. Mechanisms of Action of trans Fatty Acids. Advances in Nutrition. 29 November 2019. 10.1093/advances/nmz125. Antwi-Boasiako. Oteng. Sander. Kersten. 11. 3. 697–708. 31782488. 7231579. 16 November 2021.
  34. Web site: Trans Fats. American Heart Association. 16 November 2021.
  35. Web site: Trans Fat Leads To Weight Gain Even On Same Total Calories, Animal Study Shows. 19 June 2006. Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Science Daily. 16 November 2021.
  36. Web site: WHO plan to eliminate industrially-produced trans-fatty acids from global food supply. 14 May 2018. 16 November 2021. World Health Organization.
  37. Artificial sweetener use among children: epidemiology, recommendations, metabolic outcomes, and future directions. United States Department of Health and Human Services. 14 October 2014. Allison. Sylvetsky. Kristina I.. Rother. Rebecca. Brown. Pediatric Clinics of North America. 58. 6. 1467–1480. 10.1016/j.pcl.2011.09.007. 22093863. 3220878.
  38. Use of sugars and sweeteners in children's diets. Recommendations of the Nutrition Committee of the Spanish Association of Paediatrics. 10.1016/j.anpede.2015.10.002. Spanish Association of Paediatrics=. Anales de Pediatría (English Edition). 1 November 2015. 83. 5. 353.e1–353.e7. 73731761 . 16 November 2021.
  39. Web site: Caffeine. WebMD. 16 November 2021.
  40. Web site: Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much?. United States Food and Drug Administration. 16 November 2021.
  41. Web site: ConMéxico pide posponer etiquetado frontal para eliminar 'presión' en la industria. Sheila. Sánchez. 28 April 2020. Forbes. 17 November 2021.
  42. Web site: Bimbo se libra de etiquetado de alimentos por contribuir con estrategia de salud. 17 November 2021. Reporte Indigo. es. 30 September 2020.
  43. Web site: Forbes. 28 August 2020. Coca-Cola Femsa promueve amparo contra nuevo etiquetado. 17 November 2021. es.
  44. Web site: Revocan a la IP amparo contra norma de etiquetado. 6 March 2020. Alejandra. Rodríguez. 17 November 2021. El Financiero. es.
  45. Web site: González. Susana G.. 4 December 2019. Nuevo etiquetado en alimentos y bebidas es anticonstitucional: AIPPI. 17 November 2021. La Jornada. es.
  46. Web site: UNICEF: El etiquetado frontal de alimentos y bebidas aprobado en México, 'de los mejores del mundo'.. 5 February 2020. UNICEF. Ulises. Díaz. Mexico City. es.
  47. Web site: Pan American Health Organization. 30 September 2019. Etiquetado frontal de advertencia, un paso urgente para enfrentar epidemia de sobrepeso y obesidad en México. dead. Mexico City. 26 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201126121523/https://www.paho.org/mex/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1456:etiquetado-frontal-de-advertencia-un-paso-urgente-para-enfrentar-epidemia-de-sobrepeso-y-obesidad-en-mexico&Itemid=499.
  48. Web site: La Secretaría de Salud de México gana premio de las Naciones Unidas por avanzar con el etiquetado frontal de advertencia en alimentos y bebidas. 17 November 2021. United Nations. Es. 24 September 2020. Mexico City. 23 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220123020004/https://www.onu.org.mx/la-secretaria-de-salud-de-mexico-gana-premio-de-las-naciones-unidas-por-avanzar-con-el-etiquetado-frontal-de-advertencia-en-alimentos-y-bebidas/. dead.
  49. Web site: La ONU reconoce a la Secretaría de Salud por nuevo etiquetado frontal de México. 24 September 2020. El Economista. Alhelí. Montalvo. 17 November 2021. Es.
  50. Web site: Sin impacto, el nuevo sello. El Heraldo de México. 6 October 2020. 17 November 2021. es.
  51. Web site: ¿Cómo ha impactado en la salud de los mexicanos el nuevo etiquetado frontal de alimentos y bebidas?. Luz. Rangel. 25 June 2021. Reporte Índigo. 17 November 2021. es.
  52. Web site: Nuevo etiquetado en alimentos y bebidas. Gaceta UAEH. Fannia. Cadena. 2020. Autonomous University of Hidalgo State. 17 November 2021. es.
  53. Web site: Etiquetado en alimentos pierde su efectividad. El Heraldo de México. 11 March 2021. 17 November 2021. es.
  54. Web site: Etiquetado no afecta la venta de comida chatarra. Labeling does not affect junk food sales. 26 November 2021. Ivette. Saldaña. Antonio. Hernández. es. subscription. 26 November 2021. El Universal.
  55. Web site: Etiquetado impactó en consumidores; empresas buscan reducir sellos. 22 September 2021. Julio. Gutiérrez. La Jornada. es. 17 November 2021.
  56. Web site: Reformulan alimentos chatarra ante etiquetado de advertencia. El Heraldo de México. 4 March 2021. es. 17 November 2021.

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