Front of Label Packaging to Promote Healthier Choices

The Ministry of Health and Wellness hosted a virtual session earlier today to introduce to the public and its stakeholders the front of package nutritional warning label. The idea is that as residents will go about their shopping, these labels will help them with making healthier choices for food selection and prevention of diseases. For the past three weeks, the wellness component has been added to the Ministry of Health and this discussion is timely.  

Marvin Manzanero

Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services

“The front of package label is a topic that has been discussed extensively in Central America and the Caribbean region with different countries having different takes on it and having made different levels of advancements in terms of front of package label in terms of food and drinks. You all would know that NCDs, non-communicable diseases, particularly diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cancer are all intricately linked to what we eat and drink. There is no secret there and you also would know when you follow the data that that is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in Belize when you start looking at the complications. Even in terms of COVID-19, the current pandemic that we are facing, these entities—the diabetes, the hypertension, obesity—are linked and you have higher morbidity and higher mortality. So it is important that once you start trickling it back down and going back to the essential food items that we should be consuming versus what we shouldn’t consume, you would understand and appreciate the benefit of having a front of package label.”