Global food systems and food labeling law in Chile

• Autor(a) principal: Schubert, Maycon Noremberg
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Outros Autores: Ávalos, David Eduardo
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: spa
• Título da fonte: Redes (Santa Cruz do Sul. Online)
• Texto Completo: https://online.unisc.br/seer/index.php/redes/article/view/14850
• topic: Sistemas alimentarios. Obesidad. Ley de etiquetado. Consumo.; Food systems. Obesity. Labeling law. Consumption.; Sistemas alimentares. Obesidade. Lei de rotulagem. Consumo.

This paper aims to analyze the role of the Chilean government in relation to the corporate food production model, evaluating the public policy of labeling developed by the Ministry of Health in recent years through Law 20.606. It studies the impact of the food labeling law on changes in global consumption patterns, as well as its first results in Chile. In the current context, the State is losing importance as a regulator of food production and consumption in the world, which means that the corporatist regime has greater freedom to enter the household diet. The work is based on the theoretical tradition of food regimes, the role of the State in regulating food consumption, and the recent debate on obesity. In this paper, we review national and international studies that measure the impact of the implementation of government food labeling policies on the reduction or maintenance of overweight or obesity levels. It finds that while labeling mechanisms lead to an overall reduction in consumption of ultraprocessed products, and help industries to incorporate more nutrients into their foods. Nevertheless, their consumption is not eradicated because lower income populations do not have better alternatives to replace them. In addition, complementary policies are necessary, as an incentive to alternative markets and with subsidies and taxes on ultra-processed foods.