Choices session at the Global Public Health Conference

November 24th, 2014

In the scientific session organized by Choices at the Third World Conference on Public Health and Nutrition, 9-12 November at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, speakers gave an overview of the different front-of-pack labelling systems: the Chilean warning, the UK Traffic Light and Choices International. The key point in the discussion that followed was the preferred eating of unprocessed food. Some stressed that everyone had to cook with fresh foods instead of using processed foods. However, only focusing on unprocessed foods was seen as unrealistic in the current world. Choices has a broad scope as it is favouring fresh fruits and vegetables on the one hand, while on the other hand also highlights the healthiest or most responsible options of processed foods in each category.

If and how public health advocates and scientists could cooperate with the food industry was a hotly debated issue during different sessions of the conference that focused on promoting healthy and sustainable food. The various ways of cooperation between government, science and industry in the front-of-pack labelling initiatives presented during the Choices session were considered as a credible example.

The presentations can be found hereafter: 1) UK experiences and data on product improvements; 2) FrieslandCampina and Public Private Partnerships; 3) Law 20.606: Nutrient content of foods and their publicity/marketing Ministry of Health Chile; 4) Activities and Results of the Global Food Monitoring Group; 5) The Israeli Health Ministry dilemma over FOP labeling and salt reduction; 6) Choices Programme - experiences in Europe