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With childhood obesity prevalence in South Africa outstripping the global average, the Healthy Living Alliance, (HEALA), has launched a campaign backing government’s proposed regulation of aggressively marketed, disease-causing processed foods.
The deadline for public comment on the draft regulations aimed at making compulsory bold health warnings on the front of all packaging of processed food and beverages is this Friday, July 21.
Alarmed at South Africa’s growing prevalence of childhood obesity, (13% versus the global average of 10%), the National Department of Health (NDoH) gazetted the Regulations Relating to the Labelling and Advertising of Foodstuffs in April this year.
Overconsumption of these highly processed products which often contain high levels of saturated fats, salt, and sugar, can lead to people being overweight or obese and cause a range of diet-related noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers.
A 2018 study in the Western Cape found that 80% of foods in South African supermarkets were ultra-processed. In addition, a public opinion survey, commissioned by The Community Media Trust and Vital Strategies in 2022, found that there was strong support for government to adopt front-of-package labels as a way to regulate unhealthy food access.
When the regulations are passed later this year, front-of-package warning labels in the shape of a black triangle will allow consumers to see the ingredients of a product at a glance, helping them to make healthier choices and reduce levels of diet-related noncommunicable diseases.
SA was among the first countries to adopt mandatory regulation to lower the salt content in processed foods in 2016, aiming to reduce population salt intake to less than 5 g/day.
Two years later, on 1 April 2018, SA became the first country in Africa to legalise a sugar tax. Referred to as the Health Promotion Levy, it was expected to reduce public health expenditure in the long term and projected to raise billions of rands in revenues.
HEALA’s campaign, entitled, “Think Inside the Box,” aims to tackle aggressive food and beverage advertising campaigns head-on. One exhibition at the Sandton Gautrain Station is a series of life-size 3D wire kids. Each interactive sculpture is filled with junk food and beverage cartons with a QR code onsite linking consumers to more campaign information – and an opportunity to comment on the draft regulations.
The proposed new regulations can be read at:
https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/202304/48460rg11575gon3337.pdf