THE Ministry of Health is working closely with other Government agencies, including the Ministry of Commerce and Trade, to explore standards that would make it possible for stronger food labelling policies to be introduced in Barbados.
Speaking to the media during a press conference last week, Minister of Health, John Boyce, suggested that while Government recognises that healthy eating habits and lifestyle choices is a must to reduce the risk factors of non-communicable diseases, Barbadians should be given the opportunity to choose what they want to consume.
As a result, he said the environment which makes the right choice the most appropriate and easy choice must be created.
Food labelling laws make sure consumers get vital information about the foods they consume.
Food labels can help an individual limit the amount of fat, sugar and cholesterol in their diet, by making it easy for them to compare one food item with another and choose the one with lower amounts.
“The thing about labelling goods and foods is that they are, to a large extent, controlled by world trade agreements. In some countries in Latin America, they have moved to coloured labelling to sort to highlight certain features of a product. They have taken a stop light kind of approach, in terms of your choices,” he said.
The Minister indicated that currently, most of the labelling of products marketed and sold in Barbados is done in fine print making it difficult for the naked eye to read.
“So we need to move to that stage which is a progressive stage. But our biggest emphasis is always on the education of our people so that they can start to help us to open that door to pry a little more into what we are consuming in Barbados, such as, what is unhealthy, what is healthy and what choices we make,” he explained.
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