OP-ED | South Africans have waited long enough for front-of-pack warning labels

Health-e News OP-ED | South Africans have waited long enough for front-of-pack warning labels In April 2023, the National Department of Health published Draft Regulation R3337, proposing changes to the way foodstuffs are labelled and advertised in South Africa, including the introduction of prominent front-of-pack warning labels on certain products high in sugar, sodium and saturated fat.

More than three years later, South Africans are still waiting for these regulations to reach the finish line.

Three years is a considerable period in public policy, particularly when the policy in question concerns a preventable contributor to the country’s growing burden of non-communicable disease.

During this time, the evidence supporting clearer food labelling has continued to grow internationally, while South Africa’s proposed regulations have remained caught in a lengthy process of consultation and negotiation.

The country now needs to move from deliberation to implementation.

We have been debating this for long enough The case for front-of-pack warning labels did not begin with the publication of R3337.

South African researchers have spent years examining how consumers understand nutrition information, which warning-label designs are most effective and how such measures could work within the South African food environment.

The proposed system has therefore emerged from a substantial body of local research, public consultation and policy development rather than being an intervention introduced without consideration of its potential consequences.

There is also considerable international experience to draw upon.

Countries including Chile, Mexico and Argentina have introduced front-of-pack warning labels, while the World Health Organization has recognised interpretive front-of-pack labelling as an important policy measure for helping consumers identify products with excessive amounts of nutrients of concern.

Evidence from countries that have implemented these systems indicates that warning labels can improve consumers’ understanding of the nutritional quality of products and can create incentives for manufacturers to reformulate products to avoid receiving warnings.

South Africa should continue to consider legitimate questions about how the regulations will operate in practice.

However, after years of research, consultation and policy development, the central issue should now be how the regulations can be implemented effectively rather than whether the country should continue debating the principle of clearer food labelling.

NEDLAC must help decisions move forward This is where the current process involving the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) becomes particularly important.