Pushing and Pulling: The Caribbean Experience Moving Towards Front-Of-Package Nutrition Labels, the second webinar in the HCC Childhood Obesity Prevention Webinar Series, a series that consists of webinars intended to build the capacity of civil society organisations (CSO’s) and other key stakeholders advocating for and implementing childhood obesity prevention policies in the region.
On June Friday June 21st, 2019, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition, with the support of the UWI Open Campus and Sagicor, continued its successful childhood obesity webinar series in support of the of the Civil Society Action Plan 2017-2021: Preventing Childhood Obesity in the Caribbean. The objective of this webinar was to build public and policymaker awareness and support for the introduction of mandatory front-of-package nutrition labels in the Caribbean.
102 webinar attendees listened to presentations from regional and global experts examining regional multistakeholder efforts, experiences and perspectives related to the promotion of a CARICOM front-of-package nutrition warning label that assists consumers in making informed decisions about the nutritional content of pre-packaged food and beverage items in their shopping carts.
What’s Next?
What can you do to influence the regional process?
The upcoming period – July to October, is a critical time in which the region will vote on the final standards. In the coming months, HCC will continue to work with our partners at the regional and national level to build support for the proposed warning labels.
If you are interested in working with us (including being connected to national advocates or the local Bureaus of Standards) OR obtaining more information and materials to support your advocacy please reach out to Maisha Hutton (maisha.hutton@healthycaribbean.org).
The CARICOM region is currently engaged in an extensive consultative process around the adoption of mandatory Front-Of-Package (FOP) nutrition labels proposed in the revision of the CARICOM Regional Standard Labelling of Foods -Pre-Packaged Foods – Specification, CRS5:201X currently under development by the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ).
This webinar explored provisions for FOP nutrition labelling described in the revision of the CARICOM Regional Standard, provided updates on the regional standards adoption process, considered the PAHO Nutrient Profile and its application as it relates to FOP labels, made the case for the “High In” FOP warning label, illustrated global country experiences in the implementation of FOP warning labels, shared government and civil society experiences advocating for FOP nutrition labels, explored diverse stakeholder perspectives and practical implications of the proposed scheme including the impact on regional trade.
Attendees engaged in lively discussion, in the webinar chat room, over the course of the presentations and submitted questions which informed the question and answer session which followed.
Speakers and Presentation Slides: (video timings in brackets)
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- Opening Remarks (0.10) – Sir Trevor Hassell, President, HCC
- Revision of the standard Labelling of Pre packaged Foods to include FOPL (7.40) – Fulgence St.Prix, CROSQ Technical Officer, Standards
- Front-of-package labelling (26.02) – Dr. Fabio Da Silva Gomes, Regional Advisor in Nutrition, PAHO
- Front of Package Labelling: A Health Perspective (44.20) – Dr. E. Arthur Phillips, Senior Medical Officer of Health (NCDs) Ag. , Ministry of Health and Wellness. Barbados
- Advances in implementation of Decree 272/018 on Front of Package labelling of foods packaged in the absence of customer (55.15) – Luis Galicia, Ministry of Health Uruguay
- Advocating for FOPL (1.08.30) – Vonetta Nurse, Advocacy Officer, Heart Foundation of Jamaica
- Implementing Front-of-Package Warning Labels in CARICOM: Trade and other Practical Considerations (1.21.00) – Nicole Foster, Lecturer in Law; Attorney-at-Law; HCC Policy Advisor
- Front-Of-Package Labelling: The Way Forward For The HCC (1.36.00) – Maisha Hutton, Executive Director, HCC
- Q&A Session (1.38.45)
Other webinars in this series include:
- Childhood Obesity: Time for a New Narrative
- Exploring The Pursuit of Effective Public Health Policies Through A Trade Lens
Individual webinar details will be released as the series progresses.
All webinars are facilitated by UWI Open Campus using Blackboard Collaborate.
If you have any questions or for more information, contact jenna.thompson@healthycaribbean.org.