Front-of-package labelling should be mandatory

Director General of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Dr. Didacus Jules, believes that front-of-package labelling is important and it is against this backdrop that he says they are fighting to make them mandatory.

During a recent webinar hosted by the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC), in partnership with PAHO, the OECS Commission and UNICEF as part of the regional multimedia campaign, “Now More Than Ever: Better Labels, Better Choices, Better Health”, Dr. Jules noted that the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the inescapable importance of a healthy lifestyle and our ability to survive both non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and infectious diseases.

He revealed that this front-of-package labelling, which was currently managed by the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ), was a policy tool of prevention and management of NCDs by making clear which processed products were high in salts, sugars and fats.

It is against this backdrop that he noted that they were aiming to get the attention of consumers by bringing octagonal warning labels to the front of all manufactured food products.

“We are seeking to make these labels mandatory on these products, so that it is easy for consumers to know which products are dangerous to their health,” he said.

“We have a right to know what the food we are consuming contains, in order to exercise informed and healthy choices.”