Global Governance of Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling: A Qualitative Analysis.

Nutrients

School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1G 5Z3 ON, Canada.

Published: January 2019

AI Article Synopsis

  • The Codex Alimentarius is working on international guidelines for front-of-pack nutrition labeling, aimed at preventing diet-related diseases and influencing national health policies.
  • The study involved interviews with 28 global stakeholders, revealing that Codex guidance could significantly affect global FoP nutrition labeling but exists within a complex network of international institutions.
  • Concerns about conflicts of interest among national and global actors, particularly government and industry, highlight the need for more strategic public health advocacy in the development of these guidelines.

Article Abstract

The Codex Alimentarius has approved ongoing work for international guidance on front-of-pack (FoP) nutrition labelling, which is a core intervention for prevention of diet-related noncommunicable disease. This guidance will have implications for national policy decision-making regarding this important public health issue. However, FoP nutrition labelling is also a trade and commerce policy issue. In this study, we analyze the global governance of FoP nutrition labelling and current policy processes, to inform public health policy and advocacy. We present findings from a qualitative governance and institutional analysis, based on key informant interviews with 28 global actors. The study found that Codex guidance was perceived as likely to have a high impact on FoP nutrition labelling globally. However, a small and highly interconnected "regime complex" of international institutions surrounds FoP nutrition labelling at the global level, and influence on Codex discussions is being exerted differentially by actors at the national and global level, particularly by government and industry actors. There are thus risks associated with conflicts of interests in the development of global guidance on FoP nutrition labelling. There are also opportunities for more strategic and coordinated public health engagement.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6412334PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu11020268DOI Listing

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