Chile's food labelling and advertising law, formally titled Ley 20.606, sobre la composición de los alimentos y su publicidad ("Law 20.606, on the nutritional composition of foods and their advertising") establishes a regulatory framework on food security and healthy food with the intention of guiding consumers towards behaviour patterns that promote public health. After the 2012 law was enacted, its accompanying regulations came into full force on June 27, 2016. Andrew Jacobs, writing for The New York Times, has characterized this measure as "the world’s most ambitious attempt to remake a country’s food culture" and suggests it "could be a model for how to turn the tide on a global obesity epidemic that researchers say contributes to four million premature deaths a year."
In Chile, the law — often referred to by less cumbersome names such as ley de etiquetado de alimentos ("food labelling law"), ley del Súper Ocho ("Super Eight law"), or simply ley de alimentos ("food law") — specifically regulates the delivery of nutritional information on foods high in sodium, saturated fats, sugars or calories. The standard also prohibits the sale of such foods in educational institutions, and limits the advertising of these products to children under fourteen.
History
Background
According to a 2010 national health survey, more than 60 percent of Chile's population suffers from excessive weight. The problem begins early in childhood, with more than 10 percent of children under six, more than 15 percent of preschoolers and more than 25 percent of first-grade children presenting with obesity. When the overweight and the obese children are considered as a group, more than 50 percent of them, according to the Chilean Ministry of Health, are found to suffer from malnutrition, which they consider the main public health problem in the country. Prior to the law's enactment, poor diet and high body mass index were the leading causes of premature death and disability in Chile.
History of front-of-package warning label
In an effort to combat childhood obesity, the World Health Organization encourages implementing a three-pronged approach to promote health. Their suggestions include mandating front-of-package warning labels (FOPWL), banning marketing of foods with a FOPWL to children, and prohibiting selling these products in schools. In 1993, Finland was the first country to enact a similar law, issuing a front-of-package warning label on sodium-rich products. Chile was the first country to adapt all three recommendations outlined by the WHO.