An UPDATE on the Regional Standard for Labelling of Pre-Packaged Foods

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The Fate of Front of Packaging Warning Labelling in CARICOM

Since September 2022, national representatives have been participating in consultations across the region. The coming weeks and months will be critical for regional public health as we await the outcome of the national deliberations. From a public health perspective, a win is a recommendation to retain the Standard in its current format with the octagonal ‘high in’ warning label as the singular recommended labelling scheme guided by the PAHO nutrient profile model. Will we see a collective reckoning with CARICOM uniting around an agenda that places public health first?  HCC will be working with partners at the regional level and at the national level including Ministries of Health and civil society organisation members, to ensure that the public health perspective is prioritised in the deliberations.

For more on Front of Package Warning Labelling please visit our dedicated webpage here.

What is happening right now?

As of early November 2022, across the region, Caribbean countries are once again deliberating on whether or not to support the right of Caribbean citizens to have the best available front of package nutritional labelling model on their packaged foods. Through their local Standards Bureaus, National Mirror Committees in eleven (11) Member States are reviewing the Draft CARICOM Regional Standard for Specification for labelling of pre-packaged foods (DCRS 5:2010) which incorporates specifications for the ‘high-in’ monochromatic octagonal front of package warning label system (OWL) and the PAHO Nutrient Profile Model to guide the thresholds for labelling of pre-packaged foods as ‘high-in’.

The Standard meets the highest level of scientific rigor including the selection of the octagonal warning label and the PAHO nutrient profile model. There is a growing body of conflict of interest-free, scientific evidence which consistently supports the OWL as the best labelling model for empowering consumers to easily, correctly and quickly identify unhealthy foods ‘high in’ sodium, fats and sugars.   The OWL is also supported by a 2021 randomized controlled trial of adult shoppers conducted in Jamaica which examined the best performing front-of- package labelling (FOPL). The study was undertaken by the University of Technology, the Jamaica Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO).  The study found that the OWL consistently outperformed other labelling models (magnifying glass, UK traffic light, and GDA facts up front) helping Jamaican consumers to better identify foods ‘high in’ sodium, fats and sugars.

Wasn’t there a vote on this Standard last year? What was the outcome?

Last year, in 2021, all 15 CARICOM Member States were asked to vote on whether or not they approved the then Final Standard (FDCRS 5). Member States could approve, reject or abstain and a 75% vote of approval was needed to trigger escalation to the next stage of the Standard approval process. Ultimately 66% (6/9) of CARICOM countries voted in favour just falling short of the 75% target (6 countries abstained, 3 opposed, and 6 approved the Standard).   The vote was very close – had one of the 9 countries that either abstained or voted against the Standard, voted in favour, then the 75% target would have been achieved.  The inability to achieve consensus stalled the process and thrust it back into the consultations phase, further extending a long and exhaustive consultative period that began in 2018.

Why do we need more consultations? What has changed?

The consultations have recently resumed with Member States now being asked to make recommendations on what should be done with the Standard given the release of a study designed and implemented by the recently formed Caribbean Private Sector Organisation (CPSO) with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, and the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA).  The CPSO, an Official Associate Institution of CARICOM, represents, amongst other sectors, the region’s food and beverage manufacturing sector. So the national deliberations are now being informed by two studies: the first study was conducted by an academic institution (University of Technology Jamaica) in partnership with national (Ministry of Health and Wellness Jamaica) and regional (PAHO) health authorities. The second study was conducted by a regional private sector umbrella organisation representing national private sector entities including those – the ultra-processed food and beverage sector – with a vested interest in the outcome of the study.

Better Labels, Better Choices, Better Health – why we need strong evidence-based front of package warning labelling

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading causes of sickness, death and disability in the Caribbean. Rates of overweight and obesity are among the highest in the world and most worrying among children where 1 in 3 children and adolescents is living with overweight or obese. Unhealthy diets are a major risk factor contributing to the high rates of obesity and NCDs. Unhealthy diets are fueled by the widespread availability, accessibility, affordability, desirability, and consumption of ultra-processed products which contain high levels of “critical nutrients” of public health concern, namely sugars, total fats, saturated fats, trans fats and sodium.

The OWL empowers consumers of all ages, literacies and those living with NCDs, to quickly identify and avoid foods which are ‘high in’ sodium, fats and sugars.  Other labelling schemes such as the traffic light or the GDA (facts up front) do not present this information.  Instead they tell you the amount of grams of these nutrients (sodium, fats, sugars) and most consumers are unable touse this information to determine if the product is healthy or not, it only allows them to compare between unhealthy products.

Front of package warning labelling is also an enabling foundational policy which allows governments to easily identify those foods and beverage products which need to be regulated (restricted in schools for example) in order to support consumers in making the healthy choice the easy choice.

There is strong regional support for the OWL. Last year HCC, PAHO, the OECS Commission and UNICEF, implemented a regional campaign in support of the octagonal ‘high in’ warning labels – Better Labels, Better Choices, Better Health. The campaign was supported by almost 50 regional organisations and over 340 regional health professionals.

The Fate of the Warning Labelling in CARICOM

Since September 2022, national representatives have been participating in consultations across the region. The coming weeks and months will be critical for regional public health as we await the outcome of the national deliberations. From a public health perspective, a win is a recommendation to retain the Standard in its current format with the octagonal ‘high in’ warning label as the singular recommended labelling scheme guided by the PAHO nutrient profile model. Will we see a collective reckoning with CARICOM uniting around an agenda that places public health first?  HCC will be working with partners at the regional level and at the national level including Ministries of Health and civil society organisation members, to ensure that the public health perspective is prioritised in the deliberations

For more on Front of Package Warning Labelling please visit our dedicated webpage here.

The post The Fate of Front of Packaging Warning Labelling in CARICOM appeared first on Healthy Caribbean Coalition.

Make It Make Sense  Campaign at a Glance

On Monday October 17th 2022, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) in partnership with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados (HSFB), the Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ) and the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network (JYAN) re-launched “Make It Make Sense” — a regional, digital media campaign to build support for healthy food and nutrition  policies by highlighting conflicts of interest and interference around policy development.

The campaign was originally launched on Thursday May 12, 2022 and supports HCC’s ongoing advocacy efforts around evidence-based food and nutrition policies to promote healthier food environments and reduce obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) — like hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes — among Caribbean people.

We encourage you to share our webpage with your networks

Our Partners

Why this Campaign?

Make It Make Sense calls on our governments to make public policy decisions:

• Free from the influence of entities with vested interests, and;
• Based on the best available scientific evidence, free from conflicts of interest.

Substantial evidence supports the effectiveness (including Caribbean evidence) of policies like front-of-package warning labelling (FOPWL), regulation of the sale and marketing of ultra-processed foods and beverages in school settings and fiscal policies such as taxation of sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs), to regulate ultra-processed food products and improve our food environments. However, weak management of conflict of interests and interference is one of the major barriers to the adoption and implementation of evidence-based food policies in the Caribbean.

To protect our policymaking processes and implement effective policies and regulations, we must acknowledge and address the constant, systematic, and sophisticated interference tactics that delay, dilute or altogether derail healthy food policy development. This campaign is a key step in raising awareness about conflict of interest and industry interference in public policy and building public and policymaker support for protecting public policy from vested interests.

Campaign Resources

Videos

Social Media Cards

Please contact us to gain access to the hi-res, correctly sized images for sharing across all of the social media networks.

The post Make it Make Sense Campaign appeared first on Healthy Caribbean Coalition.

ographic. The Call to Action represents a culmination of months of collaborative effort among regional youth and youth organisations.

This effort aligns with this year’s call from the World Health Organization  to “make health and well-being for all a global priority”, by demanding urgent action from policymakers across the Caribbean to transform the region’s mental health systems and ultimately protect the mental health wellbeing of children and youth.

Read the Call to Action

You can take part too!

Join us in our commitment to prioritise, destigmatize and normalise mental health among our Caribbean children and young people.

By signing onto our Caribbean Youth Mental Health Pledge, you are vowing to work towards emphasising the Call to Action, advocating for the actions to be implemented by your policy makers and strive towards improving the mental health of our Caribbean Youth. In addition, by signing this pledge, you are affirming your personal vested interest in the Caribbean Youth Mental Health Call to Action and you are declaring that the positions, views and agreements are your own volition.

Please read the Caribbean Youth Mental Health Call to Action and Caribbean Youth Mental Health Pledge before signing the form below.

Sign the Call to Action

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Regional Partners’ Quotes for the Caribbean Youth MHCTA

The future of children and adolescents in Jamaica is at stake as the COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated the impact of multiple pre-existing stressors, such as violence and their mental health. Left unaddressed, this can have a lifelong and debilitating effect on each child and young person. The wider collective result will retard the development of the entire country. We must act now to ensure that a well-resourced, whole-of-government plan for improving the mental well-being of our young is implemented. Improving access to quality mental health services will not only improve the lives of children and adolescents, it will also yield a positive return on public investment and by extension grow our human capital and the economy.
United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Jamaica

Quotes From Youth Organizations Consulted for the Caribbean Youth MHCTA

Mental health, just like physical health, is a fundamental right of every human being. We can ill afford to deny young people their right to a healthy life, and continue in our current vein, an attitude and approach to mental health rooted in silence, apathy, avoidance, complacency and stigma. Not when 1 in 7 young people in the 10-19 age group are experiencing a mental illness. Not when mental disorders remain a leading cause of illness and disability in young people. And, not when suicide is the 4th leading cause of death amongst young people aged 15-24. We have to do something! We have to intervene! We have to do right by our youth. And, that means calling for and taking decisive action to prevent, detect, manage and reduce the risk factors for the mental health challenges facing Caribbean youth! That, fundamentally, is what this Call to Action is about
Mr. David Johnson, President and Founder of Let’s Unpack It (Barbados)

I am delighted to support this call to action on mental health. As a psychotherapist, I am aware of the enormous stress being experienced by young people and the consequences on their mental health. Gender-based violence, bullying, substance abuse and undiagnosed serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia and depression are all causes for concern. I look forward to hearing the passionate voices of young people as they raise awareness of these issues across the region
Mrs. Tina Alexander, Executive Director of Lifeline Ministries (Dominica)

We have come to live in a world that is much different from what our parents and grandparents knew. With growing social and economic inequalities, violence, conflicts, pandemics and for youth,social and digital media have become an inescapable part of our lives; mental health is bound to be at risk. I urge you to digitally detox, take a break and recharge, reset! We all have minds that need to be cared for, some Tropical remedy is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed
Conversation
Ms. Ashma McDougall, President of the National Youth Council of Dominica

Supporting Activities

Working With the First Ladies

Her Excellency Mrs. Ann Marie Davis, the First Lady of The BahamasPhoto: The Tribune

We are pleased to share that Her Excellency Mrs. Ann Marie Davis, the First Lady of The Bahamas, has pledged her commitment to protecting the mental health of children and young people in the Caribbean. Thank you First Lady Davis!

Her Excellency Mrs. Rossana Briceño, the First Lady of BelizePhoto: BBN

On October 21st 2022, Sahar Vasquez, HCY Member in Belize and Co-founder of Mind Health Connect Belize, met with the First Lady of Belize, Her Excellence Rossana Briceno to discuss the Mental Health Call to Action. Thank you to the First Lady for showing her commitment to mental health!

HCY in Bahamas Meet With Policymakers To Discuss the Call to Action

Pictured left to right : Vernon Davis, Gabrielle Edwards, First Lady Davis, Dr. Forbes, Wellecia Munnings

On October 4th 2022, Gabrielle Edwards, 5th year Medical Student and Healthy Caribbean Youth member met with Mrs Ann Marie Davis, First Lady of The Bahamas to discuss the Mental Health Call to Action. She was joined by 4th year medical students,  Vernon Davis & Wellecia Munnings and senior psychiatric resident, Dr. Petra Forbes.

Social Media Graphics

Healthy Caribbean Youth Host a Series of Instagram Lives To Promote the Call to Action

As part of pre-launch activities, Healthy Caribbean Youth (HCY) hosted two Instagram Lives on the Healthy Caribbean Coalition’s Instagram page, on the Saturday 1st and 8th October, 2022. During Day 1, youth mental health advocate, Trey Cumberbatch and Co-directors of Dance4Life Barbados, Shakira Emtage-Cave and Leila Raphael, gave their insight into the mental health of children and young people in the Caribbean and the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental well-being of these groups. HCY member, Stephanie Whiteman (session moderator), provided an overview of the Caribbean Youth Mental Health Call to Action (CYMHCTA) and set the scene leading into day 2’s session, where we dive into the significance and potential impact of the calls within the Caribbean context.

During Day 2, HCY member, Simone Bishop-Matthews (session moderator), provided a recap of the four overarching calls. Counselling Psychologist and HCY member, Alaina Gomes, President and Founder of Let’s Unpack It, David Johnson and Youth Technical Advisor at the Healthy Caribbean Coalition and HCY member, Pierre Cooke Jr., gave their take on the potential impact on communities and the Caribbean region if this CYMHCTA is implemented, from a mental health professional’s and a youth mental health organization’s perspective.

Re-watch Day 1 (click/tap to play)
Re-watch Day 2 (click/tap to play)

The post Caribbean Youth Mental Health Call to Action appeared first on Healthy Caribbean Coalition.

Wednesday October 5th, 2022 the Healthy Caribbean Coalition and it’s partners hosted a webinar entitled  #ActOnFacts – The Food In Our Schools Matter.

In this webinar distinguished panellists and speakers discuss lessons learned around the implementation of healthy school policies across the Caribbean, and share a new resource to assist CARICOM countries in harmonising healthy school policy regulation.

#ActOnFacts – The Food In Our Schools Matter, is a regional campaign that aims to encourage public and policymaker support for policies that regulate the sale and marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks in and around schools, while increasing the availability of nutritious foods, healthier snacks and drinking water.

Panellists and Speakers

Sir Trevor Hassell
President, Healthy Caribbean Coalition

Pieter Bult
UNICEF Representative for the Eastern Caribbean Area

Dean Chambliss
Subregional Programme Director, Caribbean, Pan American Health Organization/ World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO)

Dr Carlene Radix
Head of Human Health and Social Division, OECS Commission

Dr Tamu Davidson
Head of Chronic Disease and Injury Department Surveillance, Disease Prevention & Control Division, CARPHA

Fransen Jean
Food Security Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Sub-regional office for the Caribbean /em>

Barbara McGaw
Project Manager, Global Health Advocacy Project, Heart Foundation of Jamaica

Shannique Bowden
Executive Director, Jamaica Youth Action Network

Francine Charles
Programme Manager, Childhood Obesity Prevention Programme, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados

Deonne Caines
Technical Officer, National Food Industry Task Force, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Jamaica

Michelle Ash
Chief Nutritionist and Head of Department, Ministry of Health Special Services & Programmes Building, Trinidad and Tobago

Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw
Chief Education Officer, Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, Barbados

Tamie Marie
Communications Consultant, Healthy Caribbean Coalition

Nicole Foster
Law Lecturer & Head, Law and Health Research Unit, Faculty of Law, UWI Cave Hill Campus; HCC Policy Technical Advisor

Pierre Cooke Jnr
Youth Advocate, Campaign Champion, Youth Voices Technical Advisor, Healthy Caribbean Coalition

Maisha Hutton
Executive Director, Healthy Caribbean Coalition

The post #ActOnFacts – The Food In Our Schools Matters Webinar appeared first on Healthy Caribbean Coalition.