Global standard for mandatory nutrition labelling proposed

The Codex Food Labelling Committee, a United Nations subsidiary, has proposed a global standard for mandatory nutrition labelling for adoption by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in Rome this July.

Bill Jeffery, National Coordinator of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), said, “Adopting a global standard for mandatory nutrition is one of the most important public health advances in the modern history of global food law. Poor nutrition - too much sodium, risky blood cholesterol and glucose levels, inadequate fruit and vegetable intake, and excess abdominal body fat - causes more than 20% of all deaths globally, or about 14 million annually.

“It makes sense to ensure that consumers get objective nutrition information on labels,” concluded Jeffery, who negotiated on behalf of the International Association of Consumer Food Organizations (IACFO).

Currently, 80% of the 194 United Nations member countries do not require nutrition labels. The proposal will help hasten the adoption of national nutrition labelling laws in these countries, the committee said.

Jeffrey’s press release said, “Regrettably, the committee makes standards by following global trends in national laws, rather than driving them”, and so rejected the push for front-of-pack nutrition labelling that is easy to understand, such as the ‘traffic light’ system or numerical ratings.

Jeffrey suggested a framework convention on nutrition and food marketing, similar to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, might be needed to meet UN disease prevention goals.