Statement Choices International about advice ‘Ik kies bewust’

August 23rd, 2016

Choices International has been informed about the advice of the Dutch Choices Foundation “Ik Kies Bewust” to the Dutch Ministry of Health about the future of the blue and green Dutch Choices logo “het Vinkje”.

Choices International greatly appreciates the accomplishments of the Dutch Choices programme; it has a high consumer awareness, retail coverage and number of logo bearing products. Impact assessment shows that the labelling programme leads to a high level of product reformulation across all product groups.

While respecting the autonomy of the national Choices organisations, the board of the Choices Foundation regrets the advice to the Minister to end the use of the “blue Vinkje” logo and to use a logo only in a limited set of product groups. The Choices labelling programme aims at covering the whole food supply by indicating the best in class options in each food group, which has been a effective strategy to stimulate reformulation across the board.

The actions by Choices International to promote healthier food options around the world will continue relentlessly. Guiding food manufacturers in making their product portfolio healthier is an essential element in these actions. Therefore Choices International offers its support to start a new initiative for reformulation and consumer friendly labelling in The Netherlands, as advised by the Dutch Foundation ‘Ik Kies Bewust’. The Choices principles might be used as a starting point for this reformulation initiative: to include all food groups, voluntary, positive and in collaboration.

About Choices International

The Choices International Foundation, established in 2007, is a global program to foster and promote healthy food to prevent non-communicable diseases and obesity by means of reformulation, education and positive front-of-pack labelling. The Choices programme is present in six countries and it works together with experts in many areas in the world to start more of such labelling programmes. Its criteria for healthier food are determined by panels of independent leading scientists and its implementation is based on collaboration between government, science and industry.

Choices welcomes the Nigerian Heart Foundation as a new member

August 10th, 2016

The Nigerian Heart Foundation (NHF) signed an agreement to become a member of the Choices International Foundation, starting the 1st of August 2016.
With this membership Choices and the NHF will strengthen the presence of the Nigerian Heart logo, the positive front-of-pack logo that has been implemented in Nigeria for more than ten years.
This logo is based upon the same principles and comparable criteria as the Choices Programme. Furthermore, partnering with the NHF as a thought leader on NCD prevention on the African continent, Choices has taken a further step in developing a strong network around the globe that focuses on healthy food, reformulation and positive labelling.

Clémence Ross, president of the Choices International Foundation, welcomes the NHF: “Choices International wholeheartedly welcomes the Nigerian Heart Foundation. This shows the Choices strategy to encourage and support cooperation between different stakeholders around the world to jointly take action for healthier food.” The NHF looks forward to be part of the Choices network. Dr. Kingsley Akinroye, Executive Director of NHF: “We are excited to have access to the global network and knowledge of the Choices organisation that can help us in the further development of the Nigerian logo programme.”

The Nigerian Heart Foundation (NHF) is a national public health non-governmental/non-profit making organization. Its major objectives are the prevention of heart diseases, the support of research on cardiovascular diseases and the promotion of heart-health. The NHF, in its efforts to reduce non-communicable diseases in Nigeria, developed the Nigerian Heart Foundation Heart Check Food Labelling Programme, a collaboration between the NHF and a Federal Government of Nigeria parastatal – National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). The front-of-pack logo promotes on the spot identification of heart-healthy food products and encourages producers to take action for healthier food. For more information see www.nigerianheart.org ; twitter: nigheartf

The Choices International Foundation is a unique multi-stakeholder cooperation that aims to make the healthy choice the easy choice. Our goal is to help prevent obesity and other diet-related conditions by promoting healthier food. Choices criteria, set by leading independent scientist, indicate the healthiest option in each food-group. The positive front-of-pack logo helps consumers make healthy food choices and stimulates producers to develop healthier products.

Zambia food business wants positive nutrition logo

August 9th, 2016

The Scaling Up Nutrition Business Network Zambia (SBN) has decided to implement a positive front-of-pack logo to guide the Zambian consumers to a nutritious choice. While in Zambia 42% of the children under 5 are still stunted, overweight and NCDs are on the rise.

SBN Zambia invited Choices to share its experience with criteria development and the implementation of a front-of-pack logo, in a workshop at 3-4 August in Lusaka. During the workshop, that was attended by experts from government, food industry, nutrition science and the World Food Programme, the participants concluded to take the Choices principles and the Choices International criteria as starting point for their logo development.

To address the double burden of poverty, also a link with malnutrition should be taken into account. By this decision, both SBN Zambia and the World Food Programme show their preparedness to shift from a focus on undernutrition to malnutrition: the imbalance of nutrient intake can have different manifestations, even within the same person in time. Addressing these manifestations of malnutrition demands new concepts and models. Choices International is ready to contribute to this re-thinking, in which target audience are not defined as beneficiaries that need help, but as consumers who have a choice. This also might be a healthier choice.

What is SBN

The Scaling Up Nutrition Business Network Zambia (SBN) is a group of national and international companies that aims at improving the supply of nutritious food in Zambia. It is part of the international SUN movement in 42 countries, supported by GAIN and WFP. See www.sunbusinessnetwork.org.