Nutrition labelling : a review of research on consumer and industry response in the global South

In response to increasing nutrition-related noncommunicable disease (NCDs) rates, many governments are implementing multi-faceted policy interventions including adoption of nutrition labelling on pre-packaged foods and beverages. This review identifies nutrition labelling research from 20 countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. Consumers prefer front-of-pack labelling, although there is a disparity between rates of use and comprehension. Further research into the outlook of the food and beverage industry, which plays an active role in influencing legislation and regulation, and as well on expanded labelling regulations is a priority

Sugar and health in South Africa : potential challenges to leveraging policy change

This paper focuses on a sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) tax. The purpose of the paper is to highlight the challenges that government might anticipate. Affected industry actors have been part of the South African economy for over a century and remain influential. In summary, policy needs to be introduced with a political strategy sensitive to the various interests at stake. To deflect attention, the sugar industry can be expected either to advocate for self-regulation or to promote public–private partnerships. This paper cautions against both approaches as evidence suggests they will be ineffective in curbing the negative health impacts caused by excessive sugar consumption

Sugar and health in South Africa: Potential challenges to leveraging policy change

A growing body of evidence indicates that excessive sugar consumption is driving epidemics of obesity and related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) around the world. South Africa (SA), a major consumer of sugar, is also the third most obese country in Africa, and 40% of all deaths in the country result from NCDs. A number of fiscal, regulatory, and legislative levers could reduce sugar consumption in SA. This paper focuses on a sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax. The purpose of the paper is to highlight the challenges that government might anticipate. Policies cannot be enacted in a vacuum and discussion is focused on the industrial, economic, and societal context. The affected industry actors have been part of the SA economy for over a century and remain influential. To deflect attention, the sugar industry can be expected either to advocate for self-regulation or to promote public–private partnerships. This paper cautions against both approaches as evidence suggests that they will be ineffective in curbing the negative health impacts caused by excessive sugar consumption. In summary, policy needs to be introduced with a political strategy sensitive to the various interests at stake. In particular, the sugar industry can be expected to be resistant to the introduction of any type of tax on SSBs