Montevideo, 19 October 2017: Responding to the call of the World Health Organisation Action Plan on Non-Communicable Diseases as a Sustainable Development Priority 2018-2030, adopted today in Montevideo, the twelve international food and non-alcoholic beverage companies, which come together under the International Food & Beverage Alliance (IFBA), reiterate their commitment to take joint measures to help improve the diet and health of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean.
These measures reflect the global commitments made by the same companies to the World Health Organisation (WHO), with a particular focus on four essential areas, which have the objective to help consumers adopt appropriate and healthy diets and active lifestyles, and make better-informed consumer decisions:
- Reformulation and product innovation: We will continue to develop products that expand food and beverage options and help the population maintain healthy and appropriate diets.
- Clear information to consumers: We remain committed to implement best practices in the provision of transparent nutrition information based on science. We will continue working together on the promotion of front-of-pack labelling in order to present information of interest to the consumer in a responsible way.
- Responsible advertising to children: We are committed to only advertise to children under 12 years products which meet specific nutrition criteria – or, not to advertise any of our products to children under 12. This commitment is applicable in all countries where our products are sold, and covers all media.
- Encouraging healthy lifestyles: We are committed to continuing our support for our employees, and for initiatives in the communities where we operate, in the promotion of balanced diets and healthy lifestyles.
“The declaration adopted by WHO member states here in Montevideo today clearly calls on the private sector, which ranges from microenterprises and local companies to cooperatives and multinationals, to contribute to tackling non-communicable diseases as a priority of development in the context of reaching the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Rocco Renaldi, Secretary General of IFBA. “IFBA members are ready to accelerate the implementation of their international commitments in Latin America and join forces with governments, local industry and other interested parties to improve the health of Latin Americans.”
