Front-o -of-Pack Nutrition Labeli ling: Actions, Challenges , Opportunities 12 April, 2013 Helen Falco, MS, CNS Director, Nutrition & Health Policy Scientific & Regulatory Affairs
P a g e Overview 2 Policies, regulations and Obesity is a serious and programs are changing how complex global health problem products are being labeled. All stakeholders need to come together to drive workable solutions The food/beverage industry The Coca-Cola Company is supports fact-based FOP committed to providing FOP labeling calories
Many Factors are at Play • Genetic • Metabolic • Behavioral • Environmental • Cultural Output (kcal) • Socioeconomic Intake (Kcal) Bottom line: An imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended Classified - Internal use
Obesity Affects More than the Waistline • Increased risk of non-communicable (chronic) diseases • Impact on quality of life • Health-care costs • National security • Malnourished remain a problem (est. 850MM worldwide) Dialogue has Increased, as have Policy and Regulatory Actions 4 Classified - Internal use
Obesity is driving broad-based public and private actions and initiatives Advances in science, consumer interest, political influence, world trade and speed of communication have increased awareness of the issue • Policies and regulations are expanding • WHO Global Strategy Dietary Guidelines Nutrition labeling Government Nutrient Profiles Front-of-Pack (FOP) nutrition labeling Workable Claims Civil Society Community Solutions Taxation Solutions To Limits on advertising Address Obesity And Improve Fortification NGO actions Well-Being • Civil Business Society CSPI, BEUC Industry initiatives • Partnerships, collaboration FOP labeling Sponsorship of nutrition education and physical activity programs
The Challenge is… Motivating and empowering people of all ages to achieve a healthy “energy balance” Major Communication and Information Challenge Classified - Internal use
Front-of-Pack nutrition labeling is a “tool” to help consumers make dietary decisions
FOP is Nutrition Labeling at its Simplest • Easy, at-a-glance, on F ront O f P ack • Usually presented in a unique graphic format • Multiple systems • Voluntary • Reasons for introducing Response to obesity and related NCDs Help makes nutrition information easier to find and understand
Three basic approaches to FOP labeling Fact-based • Key information from the nutrition panel • Provides facts; does not rate nutritional quality “Better-for-you” (Interpretive) • Indicates “superior” nutritional quality • Does not reflect individual needs “Traffic Lights” and similar systems (Interpretive) • Use colors, numbers and/or words to indicate nutritional quality High Med Low • Does not reflect individual needs • Can act as a “warning” system
Policy and Regulatory Actions U.S. Institute of Medicine – 2010, 2011 Effective FOP System • Encourage healthier choices at point-of-purchase • Encourage industry to provide/promote healthier offerings • Encourage retailers to highlight those offerings Final Recommendations • FDA/USDA should develop, test and implement a single, standard FOP system to appear on all products • Consistent location • Aligned with nutrition labeling regulations • Nutrition Facts panel and FOP should be mutually reinforcing • On-going consumer education program • Multi-stakeholder, multi-faceted outreach program 10
Policy and Regulatory Actions Australia/New Zealand – 2011-2013 • Intense debate, with opposing views • Industry: Voluntary FOP; fact-based • Public health/consumer stakeholders: interpretive system Forum on Food Regulation • Initiated collaborative process with industry, public health and consumer groups • Objective: Reach a broad consensus on a unified, interpretive FOP system • Labelling Logic : Voluntary FOP multi- • Research to identify existing systems; design; traffic lights, mandatory with certain limited consumer testing; consumer education claims • Forum on Food Regulation • 2 year process; Project Committee developing Response: Develop interpretive FOP; recommendations MTLs put on hold while interpretive system explored. • New Zealand exploring separately and may opt for a different system 11
Policy and Regulatory Actions United Kingdom – 2012-2013 • Food and drink industry using GDAs; many retailers using “hybrid traffic light” scheme • Carried out three-month consultation with retailers, manufacturers, others on what a consistent, clear FOP label should look like • Decision: combination of GDAs, color coding • Label design has not been established • Goal is to have new label in use by summer 2013 • Based on EU Regulation, system cannot be made mandatory; must be objective and non-discriminatory 12
There is strong global industry support for fact-based FOP systems Guideline Daily Amounts Clear on Calorie s European Food, Beverage U.S. Beverage Industry Industry Daily Intake Guides Australian Food, Beverage Facts Up Front Industry U.S. Food Industry, Retailers Objective, Consistent, Non-judgmental
Industry is acting to educate, motivate and empower consumers towards active, healthy lifestyles Classified - Internal use 14
15 What is The Coca-Cola Company Doing?
Our Core Beliefs • People have individual nutrition and energy needs • Wide-spread consensus that weight gain is primarily the result of energy imbalance • No one single food or beverage alone is responsible for people being overweight or obese • All foods and beverages can have a place in an active, healthy lifestyle that includes a sensible, balanced diet, All calories count for managing weight, proper hydration and regular including those from our physical activity. caloric beverages Classified - Internal use
Our Position and Commitments http://www.thecoca- colacompany.com/citizenship/obesity-position- statement.pdf 17
Our Actions We support fact-based nutrition information, with focus on energy (calorie) transparency We provide factual, meaningful and understandable nutrition information to help our consumers make informed choices We do not support systems that make judgments We support nutrition education programs to help consumers understand and use nutrition information to select a sensible, balanced diet We made a commitment to place nutrition information and FOP calorie labeling on nearly all of our labels… Classified - Internal use
…and we’ve met our commitment
In Summary Obesity is a serious and complex global health problem Policies, regulations and programs are changing the way food and beverage Fact-based FOP products are labeled nutrition labeling -objective, consistent All stakeholders, from all sectors, must non-judgmental. come together to drive workable solutions Allows consumers to FOP nutrition labeling is a tool, with select diets that meet different approaches – fact-based, their individual interpretive, hybrid calorie and There is strong support for fact-based nutritional needs FOP labeling across the global food and beverage industry Education is key
Thank you! Questions? s? Comments?
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