Coalition Pushes – By Kisean Joseph
Coalition Pushes Front Pack
The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) is calling for front-of-pack warning labels to be implemented region-wide, helping consumers quickly identify foods high in sugar, salt and fat.
Communications Officer Sheena Warner-Edwards, along with Youth Ambassador Janet Simon, spoke recently on OBSERVER AM and said that the labelling system would give shoppers a fast, clear way to make healthier choices at the point of purchase.
“We have been encouraging the front-of-pack labeling system to be implemented across the region,” Warner-Edwards said. “So it would help persons to easily identify at least, you know, where a product is high in sugars, high in fats, high in salts.”
Warner-Edwards said the coalition is also working directly with manufacturers to encourage reformulation of high-sugar, high-salt products already on Caribbean shelves.
“We are also working with the various industry sections, in that we are putting the information out there and encouraging reformulation of products,” she said. “So we do know that our products in the Caribbean are high in sugar and high in salt, high in fats, we know this.”
Warner-Edwards said both efforts, labelling reform and industry engagement, form part of a broader regional push to reduce the Caribbean’s high burden of non-communicable diseases. She said public awareness campaigns alone will not be sufficient without policy and industry cooperation working alongside them.
