December, 16
The undersigned organizations, representing civil society and academia from across the Americas region, hereby express our growing concern regarding the direction of the negotiations on the technical regulation for front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labeling of foods within the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR, for its Spanish initials). Despite repeated calls to safeguard the progress already achieved by the member states, we note that the current discussions do not seem to be geared toward adopting the most robust standard available in the region: the one provided for in Law No. 27,642 of Argentina, based on the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Nutrient Profile Model and supported by the best available scientific evidence free from conflicts of interest.
We would like to reiterate that the process of regional alignment should not lead to a reduction in the levels of protection achieved by countries. The principle of progressivity and non-regression, enshrined in MERCOSUR’s Resolution No. 36/19 and in the countries’ legal frameworks for transparency and participation requires that any regional regulations improve the quality of public policies that protect the right to health and information of all individuals as consumers. Moving toward a regulation that does not reflect the most protective standards already in place in the region would not only contradict this principle, but would also erode a regulatory achievement built on extensive scientific evidence and recognized as an international good practice.
Finally, we emphasize that if the regional technical regulation is not developed based on the most protective standard—as defined by the PAHO model and applied in Argentine legislation—negotiations should not continue.In such a case, each country should consolidate and strengthen its own national regulatory frameworks, avoiding the pursuit of insufficient alignment that could weaken public policies that currently and effectively protect population health.
The undersigned organizations reiterate our willingness to contribute in a technical and constructive manner, and we urge MERCOSUR governments to act in accordance with the principles of public health, scientific evidence free from conflicts of interest, transparency, and social participation, always prioritizing the well-being of their populations over commercial interests.
Yours sincerely,
Organizations
- ACT Promoção da Saúde, Brasil.
- Aliança pela Alimentação Adequada e Saudável, Brasil.
- Ambio Sociedad Civil, defensa de los derechos del consumidor, Costa Rica.
- Asociación Argentina de Salud Pública (AASAP), Argentina.
- Asociación Vida, Salud y Ambiente Perú (AVISA), Perú.
- Associação Brasileira de Saúde Coletiva (Abrasco), Brasil.
- Cátedra Libre de Soberanía Alimentaria de la Escuela de Nutrición, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas de la Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Centro de Estudios sobre Nutrición Infantil “Dr. Alejandro O´Donnell”, Argentina.
- Coalición América Saludable (CLAS), Regional.
- Comunidad de Práctica Latinoamericana Nutrición y Salud (Colansa), Regional.
- Consciente Colectivo, Argentina.
- Federación Argentina de Graduados en Nutrición (FAGRAN), Argentina.
- Fundación Alimentaris, Argentina.
- Fundación Bolivia Saludable, Bolivia.
- Fundación Interamericana del Corazón Argentina (FIC Argentina), Argentina.
- Fundación para el Desarrollo de Políticas Sustentables (Fundeps), Argentina.
- Fundación SANAR, Argentina.
- Instituto de Defesa de Consumidores (Idec), Brasil.
- Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria (IECS), Argentina.
- InterAmerican Heart Foundation / Fundación Interamericana del Corazón (IAHF/FIC), Regional.
- Liga de Consumidores Con Tal Cual, Bogotá, D.C., Colombia.
- Movimento Urbano de Agroecologia MUDA, Brasil.
- Núcleo de Estudos em Saúde, Nutrição e Educação (NESANE/UFRJ-Macaé), Brasil.
- Núcleo de Ensino, Pesquisa e Extensão em Sistemas Alimentares da Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro (NEPESA/UFTM), Brasil.
- Núcleo de Pesquisa de Nutrição em Produção de Refeições da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (NUPPRE/UFSC), Brasil.
- Núcleo Interdisciplinario Alimentación y Bienestar, Universidad de la República, Uruguay.
- Observatório Brasileiro de Conflitos de Interesse em Alimentação e Nutrição (ObservaCoI), Brasil.
- Observatório de Obesidade, Brasil.
- Observatório de Políticas de Segurança Alimentar e Nutrição, Universidade de Brasília (OPSAN/UnB), Brasil.
- Organización Multidisciplinaria para la Integración Social (OMIS), Uruguay.
- Red Argentina de Investigadoras e Investigadores en Salud (RAIIS), Argentina.
- Red PaPaz, Colombia.
- Sociedad Argentina de Medicina del Estilo de Vida (Samev), Argentina.