Public Health Decision-Making in CARICOM

Public Health Decision-Making in CARICOM: Strengthening the Front-of-Package Nutrition Labelling Standardisation Programme

Shajoe Lake, Isabel Barbosa, Kimberley Benjamin, Andrés Constantin, Maisha Hutton, Nicole Foster, March 19, 2024.

Noncommunicable diseases are the leading cause of disability, morbidity and mortality in the Caribbean, where over 70% of all deaths are NCD-related. Unhealthy diets, alongside other modifiable risk factors, are fueling the region’s NCD crisis. Several recommendations at the international and regional level endorse regulating nutrition labelling of food and beverages as an essential part of a comprehensive suite of public health policies. Since 2018, the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality, the regional institution with responsibility for developing and harmonizing regional standards, embarked upon the process of revising the CARICOM Regional Standard Specification for the labelling of pre-packaged foods (CRS 5:2010) to include octagonal ‘high-in’ warning labels. The process has been protracted – involving two rounds of voting by CARICOM countries, and subjected to inordinate food and beverage industry interference.

The report seeks to inform the strengthening of public health decision-making in CARICOM by analysing the front-of-package nutrition labelling standardisation programme. First, it identifies the CARICOM Organs, Institutions, Agencies, and Committees involved in the standardisation programme, outlines how standards are developed and adopted, and assesses entry points for inordinate industry involvement. It then discusses some normative considerations about the standardisation programme, including those contained in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas Establishing the Caribbean Community including the CARICOM Single Market and Economy. Finally, it issues the several recommendations to strengthen public health decision-making in CARICOM, including within the standardisation programme.

View or download the report.

Issues
Food and Nutrition, Noncommunicable diseases, Caribbean, Governance

Related Initiatives
Health and Human Rights

Related Projects
Noncommunicable Diseases and the Law, Global Center for Legal Innovation in Food Environments

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