The World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed new guidelines recommending front-of-package nutritional labels to help consumers make informed food choices, Reuters reports. The draft guidelines, developed over several years, mark the WHO’s first effort to standardize labeling practices, though they stop short of endorsing harsher warning labels used in some countries.
The initiative comes amid rising global obesity rates, with more than a billion people affected and an estimated eight million premature deaths annually from related health issues like diabetes and heart disease. According to the WHO, processed foods high in salt, sugar, and fat are key contributors to the crisis.
Despite the health risks, only 43 WHO member countries have implemented front-of-package labeling systems, either on a mandatory or voluntary basis, the UN agency told Reuters. “The aim is to support consumers in making healthier food-related decisions,” said Katrin Engelhardt, a scientist in the WHO’s Nutrition and Food Safety department.
The new guidelines recommend “interpretive” labels, which not only list nutritional information but also explain the health impact of the product. One example is NutriScore, used in parts of Europe, which grades food from A (healthier) to E (less healthy).
Countries like Chile have adopted more stringent labels, using black octagonal warnings to flag products high in sugar, salt, or fat. Research by Lindsey Smith Taillie, co-director of the Global Food Research Program at the University of North Carolina, shows that Chile’s system, combined with marketing restrictions, led to significant reductions in the consumption of unhealthy ingredients.
Taillie noted that the food industry has resisted such warning labels, favoring non-interpretive systems like those in the U.S., which provide nutrient information without guidance on its meaning. “While the WHO’s recommendation is a step forward, it is fairly weak,” she said, emphasizing that warning labels are more effective in curbing excessive consumption.
The WHO will release its final guidelines in early 2025, following a public consultation that closed on October 11. Meanwhile, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has announced plans for a Senate hearing in December to explore stricter food labeling regulations.
The International Food and Beverage Alliance (IFBA), whose members include Coca-Cola and Mondelez, expressed general support for the WHO’s guidelines but cautioned against labels that could stigmatize certain products.
“This is something global companies can do, but it’s clearly not enough because if you take Nigeria or Pakistan … the market is dominated by local producers,” said Rocco Renaldi, the IFBA’s Secretary-General. He said the alliance’s members broadly support the WHO’s guidelines and nutrient-based labels. “But the devil is in the detail – generally speaking, we don’t support approaches that demonise particular products,” he said. “We don’t think health-warning type labels belong on food products that are deemed safe, approved and on the market, and loved by consumers.”