Inadequate nutritional composition of foods can promote excessive weight gain and promote the development of some chronic noncommunicable diseases that accompany obesity (diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, insulin resistance and some cancers among others. The characteristics of unhealthy foods are given in general by a large input of energy (calories), high in fat, saturated fat, Tran’s fatty acids and also provide significant amounts of salt and sugar, have a high glycemic index and low in dietary fiber.
Considering the magnitude of the problem in Chile, 20% of obese children at 7 years, which increases at older ages, it is necessary to generate special regulations on food safety and healthy eating, reflecting the principles and guidelines already developed in other countries In order to guide the consumer to adopt healthy behaviors, and allow to warn about the risks of consuming food injurious to health.
The national food agency Agengy Food Standards Board (FSAB), England, has implemented a new way to meet the nutritional composition of foods to facilitate the selection of healthy eating by seals (one light) green, yellow and red the main face of the packaging of foods that may warn of high, moderate or low in salt, sugars and fats (red, yellow and green). This initiative was the result of extensive consumer research with the participation of food producers, supermarkets, consumers and the general public.
In Chile, a new draft law under discussion in the Committee on Health Congress takes this experience and raises the adoption of the “Traffic Light” as a way of meeting and helping in the selection of healthy foods. It also raises the need to limit the advertising and sale of food considering the ingenuity own children cannot discriminate when exposed to mass advertising.