By Alexander Marrow and Jennifer Rigby
LONDON, Nov 9 (Reuters) – Governments should consider regulating foods that include added colours, flavours or sweeteners designed to make the product more appealing to consumers, according to new draft World Health Organization guidance that has sparked swift pushback from the food industry.
The WHO draft aims to help governments identify which foods should be consumed in moderation as part of a healthy diet – and which products could be subject to measures like warning labels or taxes, depending on national priorities. The new draft food-profiling model, published last week, marks the first time the UN health agency has included this type of ingredient in its guidance, previously only focused on nutritional content, including fat and salt.
“This draft goes beyond traditional nutrient profiling by recognising that foods may need to be considered not only for their nutrient content, but also for other aspects of their formulation” in order to prevent diet-related disease, said Katrin Engelhardt, technical officer at the WHO’s department of nutrition and food safety.
Around 11 million deaths a year are linked to unhealthy diets, according to the agency, based on data from a global study.
The proposed new model is also the WHO’s attempt to guide member states through an increasingly polarised debate about ultra-processed foods (UPFs), a class of food or drink made using processing techniques, additives and industrial ingredients, which often contain little whole food. Examples include carbonated soft drinks or instant noodles.
BEYOND NUTRIENTS ALONE
Many food scientists say UPFs pose numerous health risks but others – and the food industry – say they are defined too widely, which risks demonising healthy products.
The International Food and Beverage Alliance, an organization representing major multinational food and beverage companies, said it was concerned the proposed approach shifts attention away from nutritional quality and could capture more products for potential regulation.
“Of particular concern is the potential to undermine established nutrition priorities and reformulation efforts,” said IFBA Secretary General Rocco Renaldi.
Other concerns for the food industry are higher costs from reformulating products or stringent labelling requirements, as well as the risk of class-action lawsuits as seen in the United States, and higher taxes for processed food companies.
Broadly, the WHO said the model covers “industrially-produced foods to be consumed in moderation”, and is a bridge between its healthy diet recommendations and government policy on individual food products.
Lindsey Smith Taillie, co-director of the Global Food Research Program at the University of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, said the point of the model was to target unhealthy foods, combining both nutrients and UPFs.
“These two frameworks have never been mutually exclusive and can and should be used by policymakers as the starting place,” she said, adding that healthiness is measured by multiple criteria.
Kraft Heinz CEO Steve Cahillane last week told Reuters that industry players should have a say.
“We’re in the food business and we care about consumers deeply,” Cahillane said. “And so we ought to have a seat at the table as these discussions evolve.”
The WHO proposal is out for consultation until November 27.
(Reporting by Alexander Marrow and Jennifer Rigby; Editing by Susan Fenton)
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