5,000 signatures reached
To: Health Minister Phaahla and Dept Health Director General
Demand warning labels on all unhealthy food
Public comments closed on 21 September 2023. Thank you to everyone who made a submission. We will update you on next steps.
Why is this important?
Many of us don't realise that some food products we buy threaten our health [1]. Big food businesses have used adverts and health claims to influence what we eat for years. Massive profits have been made selling us products high in sugar, salt, fat and added sweetener. We are seeing more and more people in our communities suffering from diseases like type-2 diabetes and high blood pressure that can lead to stroke or heart disease [2].
Our children are targeted by adverts and marketing strategies that can influence what they eat for years. But we have an opportunity to help change this.
The good news is that government is listening to public health experts and considering regulations that would limit advertising and force businesses to put warning labels on their unhealthy products [3] so we know what is in our food. But some big businesses will do anything to protect their profits even if it hurts our health. Cigarette companies tried to stop government warning labels on their products [4], and already some big food businesses have been finding ways to lobby the health department behind closed doors [5].
We only have until the end of the 21st of September 2023 to send in enough public comments to show the health department that we support warning labels on all unhealthy food and regulating advertising aimed at children and misleading health claims. The evidence is on our side [6], so if enough of us come together to send public comments to support stronger regulations with no loopholes, our leaders may have no choice but to listen.
[1] https://sajs.co.za/article/view/3761
[2] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(16)30113-9/fulltext
[3] https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/202304/48460rg11575gon3337.pd
[4] http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/ldc73a99/pdf
[5] https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-05-30-heres-why-you-should-care-about-the-food-industry-lobbying-the-health-department-behind-closed-doors/
[6] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666322003749
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9388905/
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0257626
Our children are targeted by adverts and marketing strategies that can influence what they eat for years. But we have an opportunity to help change this.
The good news is that government is listening to public health experts and considering regulations that would limit advertising and force businesses to put warning labels on their unhealthy products [3] so we know what is in our food. But some big businesses will do anything to protect their profits even if it hurts our health. Cigarette companies tried to stop government warning labels on their products [4], and already some big food businesses have been finding ways to lobby the health department behind closed doors [5].
We only have until the end of the 21st of September 2023 to send in enough public comments to show the health department that we support warning labels on all unhealthy food and regulating advertising aimed at children and misleading health claims. The evidence is on our side [6], so if enough of us come together to send public comments to support stronger regulations with no loopholes, our leaders may have no choice but to listen.
[1] https://sajs.co.za/article/view/3761
[2] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(16)30113-9/fulltext
[3] https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/202304/48460rg11575gon3337.pd
[4] http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/ldc73a99/pdf
[5] https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-05-30-heres-why-you-should-care-about-the-food-industry-lobbying-the-health-department-behind-closed-doors/
[6] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666322003749
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9388905/
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0257626