On May 9, the Congress of the Republic approved that baby formulas or special supplements consumed by vulnerable people do not have octagons on your packagingthat is, they will not have the respective warnings about high amounts of sugar.
According to the complaint by the Peruvian doctor, Elmer Huerta, this would be a sign that Congress is once again turning its back on public health and would respond to a lobby of companies in the infant industry.
In detail, 10 years ago (2013), the Healthy Eating Law, which ruled that products with a high content of sugar, salt, saturated fat and trans fat carry warning octagons that, in turn, give the user freedom of information about what they consume. It also aimed to deal with problems such as obesity, diabetes, among other diseases.
However, by 2017 the industry influences so that infant formulas are considered “special products” and do not carry the indications for excess sugars, indicates Huerta. As a result of this, the following year (2018), the Public Ministry requests, through a popular action, that the Judiciary eliminate the provision to exclude infant formulas from carrying warning octagons.
However, the Supreme Court of Peru ruled in 2021 that it is illegal and contradicts the law that said food for children does not have the information on its packaging. Thus, it declares the nullity of the regulation that favored baby milk formulas.
Congress with its back to public health
Given this scenario, the congresswomen of Alianza para el Progreso, Elva Julón and Rosio Torres —recently denounced for cutting the wages of their workers— promoted the law, which was approved on May 9, and which will allow infant formulas not to have octagons.
“This is one more example of the interference and lobbying capacity of the industry, which in its eagerness to obtain privileges, does not hesitate to get useful pawns in Congress.”, Huerta pointed out on his social networks. “Infant formulas should have octagons and parents should decide whether to buy those products,” she said.
It should be noted that the Government of Dina Boluarte has until May 30 to observe the measure for violating the health of children and the right to information of consumers.
Source: Larepublica
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