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.