Congress seeks to maintain the use of octagons in stickers

On December 28, 2022, the College of Nutritionists of Peru (CNP) sent a letter to the Ministry of Health (Minsa) urging the entity not to extend the validity of the use of adhesive octagons in processed foods, then, according to the Law for the Promotion of Healthy Eating for Boys and Girls and Adolescents (Law 30021), these must be printed on the packaging.

However, the Government of Dina Boluarte turned a deaf ear to this call, as has been done since the Martín Vizcarra regime. So for the fourth time, on December 31, its validity was extended until June 2023.

While from the Congress of the Republic it is sought that the use of the stickers be permanent, according to the bill (3933) presented by the congresswoman María del Carmen Alva (Popular Action) on Monday, January 9, and that only one The day after, he entered the Consumer Defense Commission.

Industry lobby advances

PL 3933 proposes to modify article 10 of the Law 30021 with the purpose of allowing imported products, and those of micro and small companies, to use “difficult to remove” adhesives.

For the former Minister of Health Víctor Zamora, This has always been the main objective of the industry, “first that the norm does not apply to them”, and then they have managed through “convincing, lobbying and various formulas, to prevail their position”, which is to continue using the stickers.

“For the safeguarding of a public policy that does so much good for health and to protect the function of the Government, this rule should be implemented to its full extent,” he noted.

Octagons in stickers or printed?

Specialists consulted by La República agree that the Government cannot continue to give in to the interests of the industry, since basically they want the use of stickers to be a permanent measure, which puts the health of the population at risk.

“First level evidence has shown the direct relationship between the consumption of critical nutrients (salt, sodium and saturated fats) with the risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary heart attacks”, explains Dr. Saby Mauricio.

In addition, Mauricio recalls that everyone has the right to access the right information at the right time, while the stickers are often placed at the sales points, with which the responsibility is transferred to the seller and not to the manufacturer, who should have incorporated it as part of the nutritional information.

For her part, the dean of the CNP, Maritza Zela, points out that the probability that a product contravenes the regulations is 18 times greater when warnings in the form of stickers are included, compared to the cases in which printed warnings are used.

“Continuing (displacing) the use of indelible advertising warnings on products affects the consumer, and the country’s public health is at risk,” he warned.

They get around the norm to not use the warnings

The norm allows that the products with less than 50 cm² of area do not carry the warnings; However, in countries like Mexico and Chile, smaller products such as chewing gum and candies carry the octagons, which is their weak point since companies have released mini versions to avoid their use.

“That was a concession at the request of the industry that quickly adapted to smaller sizes [sus productos] in order to avoid placing the warningand that is a way to get around the norm,” former Health Minister Óscar Ugarte told La República.

The dean of the CNP pointed out in this regard that all norms are perfectible and adjustments must be made in favor of the population.

The word

Maritza Zela. Dean of the College of Nutritionists of Peru

“We believe that all companies have had the necessary time (…) to implement the use of advertising warnings indelibly on the label of 100% of the products.”