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Technical Advisor with Healthy Caribbean Coalition, Pierre Cooke, speaking to the press.

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Representatives of the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) are calling for there to be clear and visible front-of-package warning labels on products, so shoppers would be more aware of the items’ contents they are buying.

Now more than ever, we need to know what is in our food, say youth

THE Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) is calling for there to be clear and visible front-of-package warning labels on products, so individuals would be more aware of the nutritional content of the foods they are purchasing.

To get this message across, the HCC’s youth arm, Healthy Caribbean Youth, yesterday staged a Call to Action in front of the Frank Walcott statue.

Standing silently at the Culloden Road, St. Michael location, participants wore shirts and held signs which read, ‘High in Sodium’, ‘High in Sugar’, ‘High in Fat’ and ‘CARICOM Leaders We Need Warning Labels Now, Why? Now More Than Ever, We Need To Know What Is In Our Food.’

Speaking to the press, Technical Advisor with HCC, Pierre Cooke, gave background about the activity.

“The idea is for us to send a signal and show in a very visible way the need for front-of-package labelling. It is to create the healthy environment for children and just Barbadian people in general.”

He added, “The idea of the front-of-package warning labels is that they help to signal to persons in the supermarket when they are buying stuff that this food product is high in sugar, high in fat, high in sodium and we have seen models of this that have worked in Peru and Chile. Just to signal to persons that they need to take better control of their health and we know that it is the duty of the Government to necessarily put systems in place and create that enabling environment in order to live healthier lives.”

Meanwhile, HCC’s Project Assistant, Kerrie Barker, stated the location was selected because of the establishments in its vicinity, two of which are the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the National Insurance Department. She reminded that “NCDs have a significant burden on productivity and life in Barbados, which does affect our economy”.

Beyond the day’s activity, the representatives of HCC will continue their lobbying. Cooke indicated they “have been having conversations and meetings not only in Barbados, but across CARICOM. So this type of action was not only done here. It was also done in Antigua and it is to signal not only in this country but across the region, there needs to be a change in consumer behaviour. The incidences in childhood obesity and diabetes are not only particular to Barbados, but we have one in three children being obese across the region and these need to be addressed”. (MG)

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