Warnings about the implications of eating unhealthy foods have been common news items lately.  Obviously our children’s physical and brain development also depend on good nutrition.  It isn’t always possible to buy fresh proteins and vegetables and prepare them from scratch, so conveniently packaged foods are a necessary part of modern life.  But this is where the problem comes in: how do we know these products are healthy?

Safura Karim, Makoma Bopape, Rina Swart and Tamryn Frank are part of a working group that advised the South African Department of Health on front-of-package nutrition labelling, drawing on their expertise in dietetics, nutrition, public health and the law.  It seems that the current food labels are not clear enough to help people make healthier choices of food.

As a result of their work, South Africa’s health minister published draft food labeling regulations in April.  These propose clearer food labels, which include a new triangle highlighting that the food contains ingredients that are unhealthy. These logos will be placed on the front of a product.

They developed a black triangle—inspired by a danger warning sign—which would stand out on colourful food packages and include pictures so that anyone, even those who can’t read or speak English, would be able to understand them.

Earlier this year, South Africans had the opportunity to give comments on the regulations that will see this labelling system implemented. Now it’s up to the department to decide when and how to put these regulations into action.

Hopefully soon all South Africans will be able to see at a glance which foods are bad for their health.

Provided by ‘The Conversation’

Image provided by Freepik