Launch of Healthier Choices logo Malaysia

April 26th, 2017

On 20 April, the Healthier Choices logo of Malaysia has been launched by Malaysia’s deputy Minister of Health, Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya. He said that the logo will facilitate consumers in identifying more healthy products in each food category. This logo is based on the same principles as the Choices labeling program and many other positive voluntary labelling programs around the world. It has been developed under leadership of the Malaysian health authorities, in close collaboration with  the food industry and Choices International. This new logo is welcomed as a valuable tool to combat obesity and non-communicable diseases in Malaysia. At the launching day 42 products of 18 companies received the approval to bear this logo on-pack. More industries are invited to follow this example in providing an environment that supports healthy nutrition practices.

After Thailand, Singapore and Brunei this is the fourth ASEAN country with a national voluntary positive labeling program with a strong role of the national government. More countries are expected to follow.

New Consumer Goods Forum Report Shows Increasing Impact of Industry Reformulation

March 15th, 2017

Member companies reformulated more than 180,000 products in 2016

With the release of its 2016 Health & Wellness Progress Report, the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) announced that more than 180,000 products were reformulated in 2016 by their member companies, responding to the CGF Health & Wellness Resolutions. This is more than twice the number of reformulated products that CGF reported in 2015. Food and beverage reformulations focused primarily on sodium and sugar reduction, as well as the addition of whole grains and vitamins. Also in the report were personal care and hygiene product categories, which targeted the removal of parabens.

This year’s report also focused on community engagement. More than 30,000 communities worldwide were reached through health and wellness programs, most of them in partnership with community stakeholders. Choices applauds the CGF and its member companies for these inspiring results and extensive monitoring, showing industry taking responsibility for health. We encourage further food and beverage reformulation and community engagement on diet and healthy lifestyle to contribute to comprehensive efforts on NCD prevention and reduction.

The CGF press release can be found here.

Choices’ response on industry labeling announcement

March 9th, 2017

We noted six companies (Coca-Cola, Mars, Mondelez, Nestle, Unilever, PepsiCo) announced the formation of a working group to work towards a common interpretative labelling scheme across Europe that builds upon the current UK hybrid labelling scheme and integrates portion sizes. See http://evolvednutritionlabel.eu/ Choices International welcomes advances on front-of-pack labelling schemes as a way to make healthy choices easy. We will follow these discussions and outcomes with interest within the wider evidence on nutrition labelling that is emerging. Choices/ acknowledges the different roles foods and beverages play in the diets, each eaten in different quantities and with varied frequencies. That is why the Choices International Scientific Committee set product-group specific criteria that guide consumers to choose more healthy options while stimulating manufacturers to reformulate towards these challenging standards. Positive logos are the most widely applied and researched FOP labelling scheme in Europe and globally. With our members, we will continue to drive positive changes to help governments, health organizations, manufacturers and consumers achieving healthier diets.