The Executive Power published this Wednesday in the Official Gazette the regulation of Law 27,642 for the Promotion of Healthy Food, known as the front labeling law, with which it made official the implementation of this rule that aims to warn consumers about excess fat, sodium and sugar in products, in order to help combat obesity, hypertension and heart risks.
The regulation was approved by decree 151/2022, which bears the signatures of President Alberto Fernández, the Chief of Staff, Juan Manzur, and Ministers Carla Vizzotti (Health) and Julián Domínguez (Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries).
The law
Law 27,642, sanctioned on October 26, 2021has as its goal that the population has information about the products it consumes through a labeling system that warns when a product has “excess sugars”, “excess sodium”, “excess saturated fats”, “excess total fats”, and/or “excess calories”, according to values proposed by PAHO, and other types of warnings such as the presence of sweeteners or caffeine.
It also establishes that these types of products cannot have commercial advertising -aimed at children and adolescents- nor be sold in school environments, among other points.
What is considered healthy eating
In the recitals of the decree that approves the regulation, it is emphasized that “healthy eating is one that, based on criteria of balance and variety, and according to the cultural guidelines of the population, provides a sufficient amount of essential nutrients and limited in those nutrients. whose excess intake is a risk factor for chronic non-communicable diseases”.
It also warns that “the prevention of malnutrition implies, among other measures, the warning about the excess of critical nutrients such as sugars, sodium, saturated fats, total fats and calories in packaged foods and non-alcoholic beverages, based on clear, timely and truthful that protects the rights of consumers and consumers”.
Likewise, the decree argues that the use of front labeling with a black octagonal warning graphic system on packaged products “turns out to be the most visible, understandable, clear and effective way to identify critical nutrients in excess, convey a greater perception of risk to health and better performance to reduce the intention, both consumption and purchase in the Argentine territory.
