Lobby on baby formulas at its zero hour

Only until Tuesday of next week will the Executive have to observe the law issued by the Congress to “regulate the preparation and marketing of foods for special diets for vulnerable populations” which, basically, seeks to exempt formulas for children and babies from the octagons that they would warn mothers about excess sugar in their content.

This is maintained by the consumer law lawyer Jaime Delgado, who assures that the autograph, approved on April 27 after a first observation by the Executive on February 13, continues in the “same line of the previous wording.”

“He Ministry of Health (Minsa) has until May 30 to re-observe the law, it is inadmissible that it does not show a stronger position against a measure that puts the health of consumers at risk in favor of the industry,” he said.

The president of the Congressional Health Commission, Elva Julón, has a different position, who said that there is no lobby around the norm and that, on the contrary, it seeks to favor populations with a special diet. “This law would not remove the octagons from breast milk substitutes, better known as formulas, since the purpose of the regulation is to care for vulnerable populations and, therefore, requires a special diet for their treatment,” the RPP assured. legislator of the Alliance for Progress.

The truth is that, despite being a subject that compromises labels, Congress bypassed the Consumer Defense Commission before approving it in plenary, but it did send the joint opinion of congresswomen Julón and his fellow bench member Rosio Torres to the Committee on Agriculture, in which he went unnoticed, explains Delgado.

morbid laws

Saby Mauricio, former dean of College of Nutritionistspoints out that the commissions in Parliament must base their laws on scientific evidence and preserve the right of parents to know the content of what their children really consume, especially in a nation with high rates of overweight and obesity, as it is Peru.

It explains, for example, that the trend of overweight and obesity in girls and boys under 5 years of age, until the year 2021, was 6.9% and 2.2%, correspondingly. This, in large part, due to not advancing the regulation of healthy eating. “For this reason, when Peru had COVID-19the risk factor was not the elderly, but being overweight”, he declares.

It is not the only reluctant position from the academy. In his social networks, the doctor Elmer Orchard demanded that the Executive observe the new express law and return it “for violating the health of children and the right to information of parents.” “Infant formulas should have octagons and parents should decide whether to buy those products,” she said.

Congress again touches the health of Peruvians

The second article of the law approved by Congress states that “the rules that regulate the labeling and advertising of industrial or natural foods that are not strictly foods for special diets are not applicable.” For the group, there was no specific legislation in Peru for this type of food.

Last April, Indecopi declared that the prohibition of the use of stickers for advertising warnings, which must be included in food and non-alcoholic beverages, imported matter, “It is an unreasonable non-tariff trade barrier.”

reactions

Elmer Huerta, surgeon

“This is one more example of the industry’s capacity for interference and lobbying, which in its eagerness to obtain privileges, does not hesitate to get useful pawns in Congress.”

Saby Mauricio, former dean of the College of Nutritionists

“We have infant formulas up to 5 years old. In other countries, simply, sugars are not added because formulas can be designed that way. That is not to be against economic growth.”