Will Codex open the door to exploitation of food aid in emergencies and more greenwashing?
Greenwashing promotion for Nestlé baby food. Idealising claims like this should be banned along with health and nutrition claims.
IBFAN Press Release
The 48th Session of the Committee on Food Labelling will be held in Québec City, Canada from Sunday 27 October to Friday 1 November 2024. The Session will also be broadcasted in listening mode in English, French and Spanish.
Among the issues to be discussed at CCFL is a proposal for new work from the USA calling for flexibility and exemptions for the labelling of food aid. We will be opposing this. Governments have the sovereign right to adopt any legislation they consider necessary to protect health as long as it does not violate international trade principles, but another weak industry friendly Codex decision could undermine attempts to label products safely, especially when it comes to foods for infants and young children.
We will also be following proposals for new work on labelling on Sustainability, E Commerce and added Sugars and the Prioritising mechanism. IBFAN combined comments are here: CR128
Agenda Item 10. EMERGENCIES Principles and Criteria for Food Labelling Exemptions in Emergencies
10 IBFAN comment on Emergencies
IBFAN is opposed to this proposal by the United States that suggests labelling safeguards should be relaxed during emergencies. This is dangerous and contradicts and undermines Codex principles and decades of work deliberating on labelling safeguards. Such flexibilities will leave the door wide open for commercial exploitation and the creation of markets for inappropriate and unnecessary products.
The decision to declare an emergency is invariably sensitive and political and must be safeguarded from commercial and political influence. Governments must be free to insist that manufacturers and distributors include all essential labelling safeguards, in a language understood by persons affected by the emergency, especially in relation to products for infants and young children.
Agenda Item 15. Approach and Criteria for evaluation and prioritisation of the work of CCFL.
IBFAN comment IBFAN Comments on Codex Strategic Plan 2026-31
Agenda Item 12 SUSTAINABILITY IBFAN comment on Sustainability
This proposal by New Zealand, European Union, the USA and Costa Rica is being developed on the understanding that “Sustainability-related labelling can fuel consumer demand for sustainable foods and be a powerful tool in driving practices to improve the sustainability of food systems.” IBFAN is not convinced that this is true and is worried that the products most likely to carry claims will be the packaged ultra-processed products that are causing most environmental harm. It is critically important that sustainability labelling is not permitted for unhealthy Ultra-processed foods, commercial milk formulas or foods for infants and young children to the age of 5 years.
If sustainability labelling is permitted it must be government regulated and monitored and that self-regulated and certified claims should not be permitted. In countries where effective regulation and monitoring is not a viable option, sustainability labelling should not be permitted. Rather than claims, governments should require warnings. Codex Guidelines should encourage governments to follow several key principles to encourage fair, comparable and truthful labelling:
Agenda Item 13.ADDED SUGARS. IBFAN comment on Definition of Added Sugars
IBFAN welcomes this proposal and believes that there should be mandatory declarations on added sugar.
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- A wide range of mono and disaccharides and other sweeteners are added to foods and all need to be identified as ‘added sugars’ to distinguish them from intrinsic sugars that are naturally found in foods and are otherwise nutritious.
- Consumers have a right to full and frank information about the quantity of ‘added sugars’ – expressed as a percentage of added sugar by weight in the ingredient list and as a sub-total of total sugars in the nutrient declaration panel.
- WHO Euro has called for a ban on added sugars and sweeteners in food products for babies and children under the age of three, and has urged industry to “be proactive” and “support public health goals” by reformulating its baby food products.
- The impact and limitation of non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) should also be considered. The 2023 WHO Guidelines on the use of non-sugar sweeteners8 recommends that NSS not be used to manage weight or to reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases. This warning should be prominently communicated on labels of products containing NSS.
Agenda Item 6.E-COMMERCE and 7.TECHNOLOGY IBFAN E-commerce Technology
IBFAN is calling for all pre-packaged foods for foods for infants and young children to be in conformity with the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and subsequent WHA resolutions and that the Guidelines should make Reference to the Code of Ethics for International Trade in Food (CXC 20-1979). This could help safeguard the marketing of foods for infants and young children. Information relating to products for infants and young children should also be presented separately from commercial information and should not lead consumers to commercial websites and other promotional information. No user data should be collected or tracked through electronic means. Since not everyone has access to technology, all mandatory food information should appear in full on the label.
Other important agenda items: 14 FUTURE WORK 15.PRIORITIZATION. Agenda Item 9.ALCOHOL
other links:
June 25, 2024. From greenwashing to green trust: How Bill C-59 strengthens regulations and protects Canadians
Stopping greenwashing: how the EU regulates green claims
Mexico announces food and agriculture plan that could take the country back to the 1980s