By Nzama Mbalati and Zukiswa Zimela It is really difficult to read food labels. What is trans-fat? How is it different from saturated fat? Why is sodium in milligrams instead of grams? Is it good for me? That is, of course, if you even see the label on the back of the package. On April …
OPINION: Let’s be upfront on front-of-pack labelling Read More »
One in 3 South Africans suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease and heart disease and hypertension are in listed in top ten causes of death in the country. A 2020 study published in the European Heart Journal – Quality of Care and Clinical Outcomes journal highlighted poor diet as one of the leading contributors to heart disease deaths around the world. The over consumption …
The Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA) held its quarterly panel discussion at the Clico Boutique Hotel. HEALA advocates for communities to organize and mobilize around policy and the right to affordable, nutritious food. The discussion presented the media with an opportunity to learn about the role the big food plays in frustrating the implementation of lifesaving …
Healthy Living Alliance steering conversations about healthy food and healthy living Read More »
Growing up I watched the annual Christmas adverts made by a popular global sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) brand with amazement. Their trickery added to the festive magic and convinced me that Christmas would not be complete without their products being part of the family feast. As an adult, I know better. Their not-so-sweet intentions of making …
With one day to go before the 21 July closing of the public comment period for new draft legislation on mandatory food labelling and restrictions on marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks, the Healthy Living Alliance (Heala) is calling on government to strengthen the proposed marketing restrictions – specifically, to place tougher restrictions on advertising …
The National Department of Health has released front-of-pack warning label regulations for public comment. South Africans need to participate in the process to ensure that we are all protected from profit-driven corporate activities promoting harmful goods and unhealthy food. Growing up in the Eastern Cape, I remember eating foods prepared from start to finish in …
OP ED: Help protect your fellow South Africans against predatory food practices Read More »
Recent research by PRICELESS SA at the University of Witwatersrand School of Public Health found that there is no evidence that voluntary actions by the food and beverage industry can safeguard public health. The increasing availability of unhealthy, ultra-processed foods is linked to rising rates of obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as diabetes and hypertension, …
On Wednesday 23rd February 2022, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners launched a new report, ‘How the marketing of formula milk influences our decisions on infant feeding’. This report – the largest of its kind to date – draws on the experiences of over 8,500 women and 300 …
WHO report unmasks the deceitful marketing of the $55 billion formula milk industry Read More »
HEALA is a coalition of civil society organisations that advocate for equitable access to affordable, nutritious food in South Africa by building a more just food system.
