Health NGOs ask for WHO monitoring of labeling and reformulation

February 5th, 2015

The WHO Executive Board's 136th session took place in Geneva from 26 January to 3 February 2015. Amongst others, discussions focused on priority issues pertaining to communicable and non-communicable diseases, health promotion through the life course, and health systems. Publishing a joint statement, the expert organizations Consumers International, World Obesity, World Cancer Research Fund International and the UK Health Forum welcomed the ongoing commitment put forward by the WHO to reduce and prevent non-communicable diseases at a global scale. They asked for steps forward to monitor the progress made in implementing health policies/initiatives. Examples are the establishment of nutritional criteria for food services in the public sector, marketing to children, the implementation of user-friendly front-of-pack interpretative nutrition labeling, and education schemes. Choices, as a voluntary FOP initiative designed to help consumers to easily select healthy food options while helping industry to improve their products through reformulation, feels right at the heart of these discussions. The full statement can be read here.

Inauguration of the new Belgian Scientific Committee

February 3rd, 2015

A major step in the reactivation of the Belgian Choices organisation has been taken. On the 22nd of January, the new Belgian Scientific Committee met in Brussels. Main task of the committee will be the evaluation of the current set of criteria for the amount of energy, added sugar, trans- and saturated fat, salt and dietary fibre that products have to comply for using the front of pack Ik Kies Bewust / Mon Choix logo that is used in Belgium.

This evaluation will be based on the current criteria for the Belgian market, the ongoing revision of the Dutch criteria and additional new insights in human nutrition, food technology and the food composition of products now on the market. The committee aims the criteria evaluation to be finalised by the end of 2015.

So far, the Committee is composed of Prof. Greet Vansant (President, University of Leuven), Prof. Em. Jan Vinck (University of Hasselt), Ms. Olivia Capot (Haute Ecole Leonard de Vinci - IPL), Prof. Liesbeth Jacxsens (Ghent University), Prof. Marianne Sindic (University of Liège -Gembloux). Some more experts will be approached for membership in the near future.

The Choices Foundation is grateful for the willingness of these scientists to put efforts into the initiative to improve the composition of the food supply in Belgium and wishes the Belgian scientific committee a lot of success.

Succesful cooperation in Dutch public campaign on healthy food

January 30th, 2015

‘Ik Kies Bewust’, the Dutch Choices foundation, initiated a large public campaign, together with important organisations in the field of healthy food: the Dutch Association for Dieticians; the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, the Heart Foundation, the Dutch Food Retail Association and the Vegetables & Fruit House organisation. In the campaign most Dutch retailers actively contributed via their retail magazines. Over 2.5 million copies of a Health special were included in various newspapers, reaching out to over 5.5 million people in the Netherlands. The facts and tips on healthier food help consumers to make the healthy choice more easy. In the magazine, that can also be found online, there is especially much attention for a very important part of a healthy meal: fresh vegetables and fruit.  

Read the magazine at www.gezondermag.nl (in Dutch).