NGOs Raise Awareness About Labels for Packaged Food

The Partnership for Food Security protested in front of the Supreme Court (SCJN) to defend a much-discussed law that makes labeling on food packaging mandatory. The norm NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010 labeling for prepackaged non-alcoholic foods and beverages was published on March 27, 2020, and entered into force on Oct. 1, 2020, following which sanctions for non-compliance began on November 30. The SCJN has received legal protection requests against the modifications to labeling from companies and will rule on the matter shortly.

The legal protection request was promoted by Desde el Corazón del Fruto to contest the octagon-shaped labels that warn of the excess in health harmful contents of these products. According to the request, this regulation “violates rights to equality and legal certainty since it argues that not all food products are required to carry the labels, which constitutes an act of discrimination and harms the rights to work and free competition.” Similar requests have since been filed by other companies.

SCJN Minister Yazmín Esquivel is in charge of the ruling that will be voted through on November 9. Esquivel herself argued that the labeling is constitutional since it safeguards constitutional rights regarding health and healthy nutrition, as the labels protect consumers by warning them of any harmful contents. The court also highlighted the scientific evidence that backs the food policy.

According to the organization El Poder del Consumidor, the impact of labeling led to the reformulation of 56 percent of the food industry's products, in which the amount of sugar, fat, sodium or calories was reduced. The current approach to labeling enjoys an approval rating of 77 percent and has been considered to be easily understood.

This October, Mexico’s Under Secretary of Prevention and Health Promotion, Hugo López-Gatell, shared the results of placing warning labels on packaged food. A year after its implementation, 80 percent of Mexico’s population recognizes the octagon-shaped labels. He added that in Mexico, 35 percent of children and 77 percent of adults are overweight or obese, while excess weight and obesity are linked to Non-Transmissible Chronic Diseases (ECNT). He also prompted the audience to endorse public policies that would improve the quality of life and discussed the necessity to provide access to healthy food. This past month, INEGI reported the 2021 Deaths and Mortality Statistics, which found that heart disease, often found to be affected by dietary habits, is the main cause of death for women. For both men and women, the third cause of death was Diabetes.