Latin America labels ultra-processed foods. Will the US follow?

In the early 2010s, researchers at the Pan American Health Organization, a regional office of the World Health Organization, began discussing the possibility of using front-of-package labels to combat rising rates of non-communicable diseases in the region.

But the landscape really changed when Chile implemented an entirely new label in 2016. Under former president Michelle Bachelet, who trained as a pediatrician, Chile implemented a sugary-drinks tax modification in 2014 and began studying front-of-package label designs.

But not all countries have followed the scientific consensus. When Brazil implemented its label in 2022, it introduced a design that was copied in Canada and may be replicated in the US. Instead of the black stop sign, Brazil printed a black-and-white magnifying glass next to a disclosure if the food was high in sugar, salt or saturated fat.

The food industry has also funded research that emphasizes the importance of exercise over diet. Industry documents show that Coca-Cola gave university researchers in the US and Colombia $199,500 to study the role of physical inactivity, instead of the availability of whole foods, on obesity.

Although the concept of ultra-processed foods emerged in Latin America, no country there has a label demarcating UPFs. However, experts say countries are taking steps to change that.

And current warning labels already cover the majority of UPFs on the market because so many contain high levels of sugar, sodium and saturated fats.

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