Previous Story
Ecuador will maintain food labeling for health
Posted On 15 Nov 2018
Ecuadornews:
With a fair of healthy foods and agricultural undertakings, theMinistries of Agriculture and Health seek to prevent and raise awareness aboutthe disease of diabetes on the world day of its commemoration.
In Quito, on the platform of the Ministry of Agriculture, standswere placed this Wednesday, exhibiting products such as lettuce, tomato,strawberry, and beans. It also explained what healthy eating is, what are thehyperprocessed foods, the traffic light of processed foods with the contents ofsugar, salt and fat.
Also what are the risk factors in adults.
There were also artistic representations.
Xavier Lazo, Minister of Agriculture, called on consumers tosupport the initiatives of small producers and encourage the consumption oforganic and fresh products.
The previous Government established a labeling of processed foods as a way for citizens to know the contents of these products.
The Minister of Health, Verónica Espinosa, said that the labeling in essence is not going to change and that what is being reviewed is the policy in relation to sweeteners and how to measure their content when they are liquid instead of solid.
“The problem is not in the labeling, for example, in the consumption of milk, although the concern is for the decrease in milk consumption we see that it is a global phenomenon, which does not only happen where there is labeling and that is probably related to the fact that the consumption of milk has been replaced by that of sugary drinks, which is something that is not desirable, “said Espinosa.
The official said that the industry has modified the formulation of food so that they have a more yellow or green traffic light, which, in their opinion, shows that the market is not being reduced but instead replaces the food market with healthier alternatives.
He estimated that in 30% of processed foods the recipe wasmodified to conform to healthier labeling. (I)
