FAO’s Director of Food and Nutrition talks at Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling conference in Brussels

FAO Director of the Health and Nutrition Division Lynnette Neufeld, was invited to speak at the event “Harmonized Front of Pack Labelling and its Impact on Sustainable Food Systems” organised by the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union and with the participation of the Deputy Minister for Agriculture of the Czech Republic Jindřich Fialka.

Providing information to consumers on what constitutes healthy eating through a system of front-of-pack nutrition labelling could have the potential to positively affect dietary habits. In her presentation Neufeld gave some international examples on front-of-pack labeling. She emphasized that while diets are highly contextual, the underlying criteria of what constitutes a healthy diet from a human health perspective are universal. She highlighted that FAO has joined forces with WHO and UNICEF to develop a consensus statement in this regard (available early 2023). These underlying principles of what constitutes healthy will be an important input to strengthen the evidence that underpins front-of-pack labeling.

Partners and stakeholders present at the event exchanged on this complex issue, also in view of the European Commission’s intention to introduce a harmonized mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling. Acting Director for One Health at DG SANTE, Ms Roser Domenech talked about the regulation and the challenges in obtaining a common solution to the front-of-pack labeling that can be acceptable for all.

You can read more about the work of FAO on nutrition here.