Evaluation of compliance of Law 27.642 on the Promotion of Healthy Eating in supermarkets in Argentina
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14306/renhyd.29.4.2497%20Keywords:
Product Surveillance, Postmarketing, Legislation, Food; Marketing, Public Health, ArgentinaAbstract
Introduction: The front-of-package labeling law was regulated in Argentina in 2022, and once it is fully in force, investigating its compliance is a priority. This work aimed to evaluate compliance with Law 27,642 on the Promotion of Healthy Eating in food products in supermarkets of the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Between April and May 2024, the presence of warning label in food packaging, in accordance with the law and the display of the products on supermarket shelves were evaluated. Included were cookies and pastry products; non-alcoholic beverages; salty snacks; cereals and bars; packaged breads; sweets, desserts and candies; yogurts and milk desserts. Results: Of the 926 products evaluated, 88% had to have a warning label on the front. Of which, 13.5% did not comply due to the lack of at least one warning label and 11.3% did not declare added sugars in the nutritional information. The highest non-compliance was in packaged breads. The “excess calorie” warning label was the one with the highest non-compliance rate (7.7%) and the packaged bread had the highest non-compliance rate. Regarding the presentation of products with a warning label on the shelf (n=725), 42.5% hid on the front side. In addition, 1.1% of the products with a seal presented a claim and 1.4% had marketing aimed at children and adolescents. Conclusions: Two months after the deadlines for compliance with the law, non-compliances are noted in the presence of warning level and incorrect arrangement of products with a warning level on the shelf, which may dilute the impact of the law. The results obtained are an input for the evaluation of compliance by the industry and the points of sale.
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Copyright (c) 2020 Josefina Casco, Valeria Costabella, Alicia Rovirosa, María Celeste Nessier, María Elisa Zapata
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