HEALA Board Appoints Nzama Mbalati As Interim CEO

The HEALA Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Nzama Mbalati as its Interim CEO effective 1st December 2023. Mr Mbalati has been serving with the organisation since 2018 and has been a valuable member of HEALA as the Programmes Manager driving the Programmes Strategy. His professional experience encompasses over 17 years in social justice, health, food and nutrition advocacy.

Nzama is an experienced social justice activist with strengths in community and health systems strengthening, community mobilization, policy advocacy, lobbying, human rights and project management. Having worked in the social justice and public health space for over a decade, he is well-versed on issues of politics, policy, health, human rights, inequality and various other socio-economic issues facing the people of South Africa.

The term of the Interim CEO will be tied to the search of the next CEO. Over the next few months the Board will lead the search for the next CEO of HEALA with a passion for our vision and mission.

During this time of transition, we count on your continued support. Please join us in congratulating Mr Nzama Mbalati in this role and wishing him all the best and continued success.

Sincerely,

HEALA Board

This World Heart Day, the Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA) is calling on the government to take the health of South Africans to heart.

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 of an unhealthy diet is one of the leading causes of death for millions of people around the world.  Now more than ever, South Africa needs strong evidence based regulations to protect us from life threatening noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease.

Pre-packaged foods and beverages, high in salt, sugar and saturated fat have increasingly become readily available in virtually every community around the world, with South African shops inundated with these pre-packaged foods that are processed with high levels of added sugars, salt, and saturated fats. Research has found these nutrients are connected to increased obesity and chronic nutrition-related diseases.

“More than six million deaths [globally] could be avoided by reducing intake of processed foods, sugary beverages, trans and saturated fats, and added salt and sugar, “researchers found.

Front of pack warning labels are among the tools recommended by the World Health Organisation aimed at reducing the consumption of foods high in salt, sugar and saturated fat. Earlier this year the National Department of Health (NDoH) released for public comment draft regulations on the implementation of mandatory front of pack warning labels. According to the proposed regulations, all foods and beverages that have added salt, sugar or saturated fat and fall within “high in” thresholds or contain any non-sugar sweetener will have a black and white triangle warning on them to alert consumers.

The country cannot afford a delay in the implementation of the mandatory front of pack warning labels regulations. HEALA is calling on key decision makers to prioritise the health of South Africans.

“We calling on the National Department of Health to lead by its own mission “to improve health status through the prevention of illness, disease and the promotion of healthy lifestyles, and to consistently improve the health care delivery system by focusing on access, equity, efficiency, quality and sustainability”,” says Nzama Mbalati, Programmes Manager at HEALA.

The consumption of sugar sweetened beverages has also been linked to an increased risk of heart diseases. In a bold move by the South African government, the country blazed a trail as the first African country to legalise a tax on sugary drinks, in order to reduce the consumption of these products. However, in a series of decisions which favour the sugar industry, including putting a moratorium on an increase of the tax until 2025, National Treasury has threatened the efficacy of the regulation and put people’s health at risk.

“Industry often uses its economic power, lobbying and marketing machinery, and manipulation of the media to discredit scientific research and influence government inaction in order to propagate the sale and distribution of its deadly products. We cannot allow the continuation of putting profits over people,” Mbalati says.

END

About HEALA’s advocacy work in South Africa:

HEALA is a coalition of civil society organisations advocating for equitable access to affordable, nutritious food in South Africa by building a more just food system. Because government policy forms a crucial part of the South Africa’s food system, HEALA believes that hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition are policy choices.

HEALA advances the right to food by advocating for more just food systems in South Africa. We do this by acting as a platform for organisations and communities to organise around the realisation of the right to affordable and nutritious food. Through our campaigns, we help amplify the voices of people on the ground to ensure that they are heard by those in power at a local, provincial and national level.

HEALA’s vision is a South Africa in which all people have equitable access to healthy food to unlock their full potential.

For more information about HEALA’s advocacy work, please visit: www.heala.org

Media Contact
Zukiswa Zimela, Communications Manager
zzimela@heala.org; 0745201652

Healthy Living Alliance steering conversations about healthy food and healthy living

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 health policies and thwarting HEALA’s goal of ensuring “equitable access to healthy food” for all South Africans. The panel, led by HEALA’s programme manager Nzama Mbalati, legal researcher and PHD candidate Petronell Kruger, and Policy and Research Manager Angelika Grimbeek, was facilitated by Newzroom Afrika news anchor, Michelle Craig.

With South Africa under threat from the proliferation – and preference – for Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs) packaged and marketed by major food industry players, it is critical for organizations like HEALA to redirect the conversation to the dangers posed by noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and other risk factors associated with unhealthy food choices.

Some of these include consuming an unhealthy diet high in sugary meals, salty foods, and fatty foods. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that countries implement interventions for Front of Package Labels (FoPL), strict marketing restrictions, and taxation as a means of fostering a culture of responsible food production and processing by large food producers, marketing institutions, and government agencies in order to steer consumers towards adopting healthy food choices and avoid NCDs.

Big Food Producers and marketing

According to Zukiswa Zimela, Communications Manager at HEALA, most of the non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and some cancers can be attributed to the overconsumption of foods high in salt, sugar and saturated fat.

However, attempts to reduce the overconsumption of these foods are made difficult due to the proliferation of these foods in our supermarkets and the persuasive nature of the media and brand marketing strategies employed by the food and beverage industry through “sleek” marketing.

Angelika Grimbeek, manager of policy and research, says that a lot of people are unaware that common foods may in fact be harmful to their health.

For years, adverts and “health” claims have been utilized by large food corporations to sway consumer choices. Big bucks have been generated off of selling consumers foods and drinks loaded with sugar, salt, fat, and artificial sweeteners. Diseases like Type-2 diabetes and high blood pressure, which can lead to stroke or heart disease, are becoming increasingly common in our communities, added Grimbeek.

“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,” she said.

Healthy living is expensive: truth or myth?

For Patronell Kruger, the notion that a diet high in unhealthy foods is more expensive than one rich in nutritious foods is false.

“We must face the high cost of unhealthy diet and the consequences of noncommunicable diseases. The monetary burden of caring for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes has both immediate and far-reaching consequences. The cost of insulin is high. South Africans lose an average of R2,700 per year due to NCD, according to a study done by Wits University. That’s an eight-month COVID-19 award,” Kruger calculated.

South Africa became the first African nation to tax suger sweetened beverages on April 1, 2018. This regulation has caused beverage corporations to lower sugar-sweetened drink intake, but it will take more to shift behaviours.

The WHO studies demonstrate that a correctly planned tax that raises retail prices by 20% or more can reduce consumption proportionally and encourage healthier alternatives.

Mbalati noted that the food and beverage industry historically resisted new regulations and policies since major corporations are profit-driven. This makes advocacy a battleground between big industry, the government, and organizations like HEALA that advocate good policy.

Mbalati said the government sometimes speaks alone and the big industry sometimes misrepresents information to deceive consumers.

HEALA said that a South African HPL study indicated that the food and beverage industry misrepresents evidence and confuses the public by changing packaging.

Mbalati has urged media to present genuine and practical stories of persons recovering from terrible dietary choices.

“More human stories are needed. We must cease intellectualizing the problem with scholarly opinion pieces. I want to read about a diabetic. I want to know about her problems, food, transportation, and medication. “We need to humanize these stories,” Mbalati says.

Ends

Press Statement: Food and beverage companies are ‘cereal’ offenders when it comes to targeting children

New research demonstrates that child-directed marketing strategies are used on most South African breakfast cereals. 

“New research from University of the Western Cape, led by researcher Alice S. Khan, exposes how breakfast cereals, which directly market to children, have a lower nutritional value and 96% of the cereals studied had a nutritional health claim. There is an urgent need for regulations to restrict this predatory marketing and to introduce clear front-of-package warning labels on unhealthy products so consumers can make informed decisions,” says Nzama Mbalati Programmes Manager for HEALA.

The research shows that marketing and advertising is a key factor in promoting the consumption of ultra-processed products. Children are highly susceptible to these ads. Food and beverage advertising has remained unregulated even though children’s rights are guaranteed in the South African Constitution.

In this study, the researchers assessed the nutritional composition of 222 breakfast cereals, direct child marketing strategies (i.e., illustrations, characters, fantasy, role models), and indirect marketing to children’s parents (nutritional claims and health claims). Breakfast cereals with direct child marketing strategies had lower levels of protein and fibre and higher total sugar and carbohydrate content than those without direct marketing strategies.

HEALA is calling for the National Department of Health (NDoH) to ensure that there is strict regulation on the marketing of products with front of package warning labels, as this marketing has the potential to influence purchase and consumption of unhealthy products, and until now, has been highly pervasive and unregulated in South Africa. Research shows that mandatory restrictions are necessary to ensure that products do not have child-directed marketing. Promises made by the industry to self-regulate have not been effective in reducing targeted marketing to children.

South Africa is one of the few countries in the world that promotes peoples access to high-quality food in its Constitution. Section 27(1)(b) of the South African Constitution guarantees all the right to sufficient food and commits the state to the progressive realisation of this right. Additionally, Section 28(1)(c) states that every child has the right to basic nutrition, shelter, basic health care services and social services. Hence its crucial that the State guards against industry practices that seek to reverse the hard earn gains enshrined in our constitution.

Draft Regulation Relating to the Labelling and Advertising of Foodstuffs (R3337) furthers South Africa’s commitment to the right to food by regulating how unhealthy products are marketed to children and adults and through introducing front-of-package labels warning of high levels of sugar, salt and saturated fat. The comment period for Draft Regulation 3337 was recently extended until 21 September 2023, we suspect due to the lobbying efforts of the food and beverage industry to stall its implementation.

ENDS

About HEALA’s advocacy work in South Africa:
HEALA is a coalition of civil society organisations advocating for equitable access to affordable, nutritious food in South Africa by building a more just food system. Because government policy forms a crucial part of the South Africa’s food system, HEALA believes that hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition are policy choices.

HEALA advances the right to food by advocating for more just food systems in South Africa. We do this by acting as a platform for organisations and communities to organise around the realisation of the right to affordable and nutritious food. Through our campaigns, we help amplify the voices of people on the ground to ensure that they are heard by those in power at a local, provincial and national level.

HEALA’s vision is a South Africa in which all people have equitable access to healthy food to unlock their full potential.

For more information HEALA’s advocacy work, please visit: https://heala.org

Media Contact
Zukiswa Zimela, Communications Manager
zzimela@heala.org | 0745210652

OP-ED: Aggressive advertising of unhealthy food targets children, but we can do something about it now

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 a profit at the expense of people’s health leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. As a dietitian I have spent countless hours counselling some of South Africa’s overweight and obese, of whom 31% are men and 68% women – advising them on how to lose weight and avoid falling victim to the country’s top noncommunicable killer diseases such diabetes and heart problems, which are rapidly growing and posing a health threat to our society.

As a nutrition policy advocate, I have read numerous reports and research which show how the very powerful and well-resourced food and beverage industry will stop at nothing to market their products, intentionally targeting children.

Research has found that SSB manufacturers have spent close to R4-billion on advertising in six years, with most of these adverts targeting children and family viewing times. Even though these SSB manufacturers have signed various self-regulation pledges to do otherwise, nothing has changed. Children are highly susceptible to adverts for unhealthy foods. As a mother, I have experienced the power of cleverly child-crafted adverts. Nobody can blame a child for choosing the treat advertised by a celebrity or cartoon over their mother convincing them about healthy food.

For far too long the industry has been given free rein to convince us consumers that these manufactured products are what we should be eating.

As families and society we all experience the constant bombardment of advertising – from billboards on busy highways and local shops and schools covered with branding, to soundbites on radio and constant promotions at supermarkets. We don’t even get a break when we log on to social media, where we see influencers promoting unhealthy products. The cravings we get from these adverts are difficult to escape. Our food environment is also flooded with cheap products that are energy-dense and nutrient-poor, making it very difficult to eat healthily. In the past 20 years, due to the commercialisation of food production and aggressive marketing, South Africans have started consuming more and more ultraprocessed products that are putting their health at risk, affecting their lives and placing a burden on our health system.

Realistically, unhealthy food products will always be around. The food and beverage industry is a business that needs these products to make money. However, for far too long it has been given free rein to convince us consumers that these manufactured products are what we should be eating. This has to stop.

Warning labels

The government has a responsibility to protect the health and nutrition of its citizens, as outlined in the Constitution. This can be done by enforcing national regulations that can protect households and individuals from predatory marketing practices. Among them is the proposed Draft Regulations Relating to the Labelling and Advertising of Foodstuffs (R3337), which was gazetted for public consultation on 21 April 2023. The last day for public comment is 21 July 2023.

In this draft, the Department of Health puts forward the introduction of mandatory front-of-package warning labels to be placed on packaged foods and drinks that are high in added sugar, salt and saturated fat or contain any artificial sweeteners. As a further proactive measure to especially protect our children from the harmful effects of unhealthy food marketing, the department has included marketing restrictions of all products carrying these labels. This regulation is a step towards helping consumers understand what is in the food we eat so we are better equipped to achieve our consumer responsibility of making healthier food choices for ourselves and our families.

Similar mandatory regulations have been implemented in many countries. In Chile, the combination of front-of-package warning labels, marketing restrictions and banning school sales of these products has led to a drop in the purchase of unhealthy products with no effect on employment, wages or profits for the food and beverage industry.

As a parent, I welcome any help in ensuring our children are protected from the pervasive marketing of unhealthy food by big food and beverage companies. To comment on this draft regulation go to Amandla.mobi and join me in supporting this crucial regulation. DM

Angelika Grimbeek is the Policy and Research Manager at HEALA. She is a registered dietitian that has a Master of Science in Community Paediatrics, giving her the skills and passion needed to be a nutrition advocate fighting for Food Justice in South Africa.

This oped was published in the Daily Maverick on the 19th of July 2023

Activists call for more restrictions on marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks to children

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 and marketing to children.

The new draft regulations, called R3337, include long-awaited, mandatory front-of-pack warning labels for foods high in added sugars, fats and salt, and on any product containing artificial (non-sugar) sweeteners, to reduce the risks of obesity and non-communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The draft regulations also propose long-awaited restrictions on the marketing and advertising of foods and drinks to children, who are particularly vulnerable to the influences of marketing, and are often the targets of “aggressive food and beverage advertising campaigns”, Heala says.

Read the whole article here: https: Daily Maverick 

WE ARE HIRING: Finance and Admin Intern

Position:  Finance and Admin Intern

Location:  Rosebank, Johannesburg

Contract duration:  9 months

Closing date:  24th May 2023

 

About us:

Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA) is a coalition of civil society organisations advocating for equitable access to affordable, nutritious food in South Africa by building a more just food system.  HEALA’s vision is a South Africa in which all people have equitable access to healthy food to unlock their full potential.

The Role:

An exciting opportunity exists for a Finance and Admin Intern who will assist in managing the financial and administrative duties of HEALA. This role includes managing monthly reconciliations, daily administrative duties and supporting programme team.

Who we’re looking for: 

The ideal candidate should be educated with a Diploma in Accounting; or have a BCom Accounting degree. They should  have the ability to apply their knowledge of financial management; proficient knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and Internal Control Fundamentals; have knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel, a thorough knowledge of external regulations as well as internal corporate policies and procedures; excellent oral and written communication skills as well as excellent quantitative and analytical skills; strong critical thinking and problem solving skills, the Ability to analyse and interpret financial data, identify/resolve errors and prepare reports and the ability to motivate and work well with others.

In addition to this the candidate should have the ability to analyse financial transactions, to review and determines compliance with laws and regulations and make recommendations for approval; review and analyse recommendations be strong on attention to detail.

The candidate should also have strong commitment to HEALA values and ethos.

The duties and responsibilities for the role are as below:

  • Prepare payment requests together with supporting documents;
  • Load payments on the online banking;
  • Process cashbook and bank reconciliations;
  • Closely work with the Finance Manager together with Programme Manager in order to manage cash flow effectively;
  • Maintain tracking tool for expenses;
  • Ensure all statutory payments are paid on time;
  • Credit Card Reconciliations;
  • Responsible for bringing any official and legal correspondence to the attention of the Senior Management Team and assist with adequate responses;
  • Engage travel agent with regard to travelling arrangements;
  • Maintain the asset register

What we offer:

HEALA is committed to providing a welcoming, supportive workplace where we recognise a job well done, encourage close collaboration and sharing power.

How to apply:

Suitably qualified candidates are required to email their updated CV’s and cover letter clearly explaining their suitability against the essential criteria in the job profile to info@HEALA.org   by 11.59 GMT on 25th May 2023 . 

Please check your application and make sure you meet all the essential criteria listed in the person specification. In addition, your application will be stronger if you meet at least some of the desirable criteria.

Due to high volumes of applications received, we can only correspond with short listed applicants. Should you not have received feedback on your application within three weeks of the closing date, please consider your application as unsuccessful.

HEALA will not consider unsolicited candidates from recruitment agencies. We reserve the right to modify or withdraw any of our vacancies at any time.

 

HEALA is an equal opportunities employer. HEALA promotes affirmative action in policies and practices for the hiring, training, retention and promotion of all staff. HEALA will monitor its staff complement against the national Employment Equity statistics. All applicants must be in possession of the appropriate and valid rights to work in South Africa.

 

HEALA collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants as part of their recruitment process.

STATEMENT: For South Africans, Front-of-Pack Warning Labels are long overdue.

18 April 2023

The Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA) applauds the National Department of Health (NDoH) for releasing for public comment the Front-of-Pack Warning Label (FOPWL) regulations. We would like to encourage all South Africans to support the introduction of these mandatory black warning labels which will protect us from profit–driven corporate activities promoting harmful goods and unhealthy food.

Following global trends, South Africans are consuming an increasing amount of ultra-processed foods, leading to adverse health complications and poor health outcomes for a lot of South Africans, including children. The dominance of these unhealthy products in stores, incomprehensible food labels, and aggressive advertising by the food industry undermine consumers’ ability to choose healthier food options.

The newly published FOPWL and marketing draft regulation, R3287, is a ground breaking intervention that will serve as an enabler for South African consumers to have clear information about the food they are consuming, thus empowering them to make better food choices.

READ MORE: Parents Want To Make Healthy Food Choices For Their Children. 
 

This step taken by government is long overdue given the thousands of South African citizens who have succumbed to the effects of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and heart disease linked to unhealthy diets. Currently, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease are among the top 10 leading causes of death in the country.

“High in” front-of-pack warning labels, which clearly identify products that are high in things like sugar, salt, and saturated fat will help consumers spot unhealthy foods. HEALA believes that front-of-pack warning labelling can be used as a policy tool to promote healthy diets by making it easier for consumers to understand the nutritional values of the food they are eating and making healthier food choices.

Given the overwhelming number of people suffering from obesity and non-communicable diseases in our country, almost half of women and almost 1 in 4 men, it is vital that government uses all tools at its disposal to protect the South African population from these deadly diseases.

“We believe that food regulation is vital to counter the food industry’s greed and profit making mechanisms,” says Nzama Mbalati, Head of Programmes at HEALA.

The regulations will also make it harder for organizations to advertise and market to children, who are the most vulnerable to the food industry’s predatory marketing practices.

HEALA would like to encourage all those who live in South Africa to engage with the regulations and show their support by submitting here. https://awethu.amandla.mobi/petitions/demand-warning-labels-on-all-unhealthy-food?source=healastatement

Press Statement: HEALA CALLS ON THE FINANCE MINISTER TO TAKE THE HEALTH OF SOUTH AFICANS SERIOUSLY AHEAD OF HIS 2023 BUDGET SPEECH

Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA) is calling on the Finance Minister to put people’s health ahead of industry interests when he delivers his 2023 budget speech on 22nd of February. South Africans are facing a deluge of non-communicable diseases which could be prevented if the government institutes research based fiscal and legislative policies. Our health system is significantly challenged. The South African health system faces a range of systemic and structural challenges to deliver quality and affordable health care.

It is important to clarify that many of the issues plaguing the sugar sector have little to do with the Health Promotion Levy (HPL). The challenges plaguing the sugar industries are well documented and date back to over two decades prior to the implementation of the HPL in 2018, the sugar industry was already highlighting issues of a lack of economies of scale and scope, high inputs costs (Chemicals and seeds), lack of access to markets, farming marginal and communal lands and serious governance challenges, especially in cooperatives. These were highlighted by the South African Farmers Development Association (SAFDA) to the Trade Industry and Competition Committee in 2017.

“The main issues are cheap sugar imports, climate change, floods, loadshedding and the sugar industry’s own inefficiencies, corporate governance and corruption, high labour outputs, outdated technology. The HPL cannot be the main reason for the sugar industry’s problem. It is important for Industry to begin addressing its own inefficiencies that affect jobs and stop scapegoating the HPL” says Nzama Mbalati, Programme Director at Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA).

South Africa suffers from a considerable health burden including communicable disease, violence, and injury as well as non-communicable diseases. Reducing morbidity and mortality for all South Africans requires an approach that transcends health services, where public policy addresses the broader social and economic determinants of health by designing and implementing interventions that improve people’s health more effectively than individual interventions within the health sector.

Legislative, regulatory, and fiscal policies could substantially and cost-effectively reduce the burden of nutrition-related non-communicable diseases. South Africa has successfully reduced the salt content of foods through mandatory regulation and there is evidence demonstrating that a 20 per cent tax on sugary beverages will reduce obesity.

What the sugar industry fails to mention is how much the illnesses caused by their products are costing taxpayers. Diet-related diseases are killing us. In 2017, about 47000 people died from diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Currently, an estimated twelve million South Africans suffer from diet-related diseases. It costs ZAR62 billion to treat annually, and about ZAR33 billion of that expenditure can be avoided if SA takes measures to prevent diet-related diseases.

SA cannot sit for her people to suffer from industry profit activities. Industry must accept responsibility of loss of life, rising NCD management cost, and the pain our people suffer through no

fault of theirs. The history of the South African sugar industry cast light upon deeply rooted obstacles for sugar reduction anti-obesity interventions.

This is money that could be used to fund much-needed social programmes. Let us remember that this financial burden falls on the very people whose jobs they claim have been shed by the tax, the money used to treat people with non-communicable diseases is taken from the taxpayers, many of whom are struggling to make ends meet.

Research exists to show that the sugar tax has worked in reducing obesity, particularly in young people. Experts from the Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge reported that the introduction of the sugar tax was associated with an 8% relative reduction in obesity levels.

The local sugar industry has been and continues to be in steady decline. It is important for the industry to pivot and find relevance in diversifying crops and look at other uses of sugar through biofuel market.

ENDS
For more information and interviews, please contact:

Nzama Mbalati on 082 734 5414
Zukiswa Zimela on 074 521 0652

World Diabetes Day, HEALA CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO TAKE ACTION

In recent years, it has become very clear that South Africans are consuming more ultra-processed foods that are high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat, contributing to an alarming increase in the numbers of obesity and higher levels of Noncommunicable Disease rates. This has resulted in an alarming  increase in the number of South Africans suffering from diabetes, hypertension, and some cancers.

This World Diabetes Day, 14 November, Healthy Living Alliance, HEALA, is calling on government utilise all tools at its disposal, including Front of Pack Warning Labels, (FOPL) to create a healthier food environment and fix the food system  for all those living in South Africa.

Illnesses such as diabetes do not only affect individuals on the personal level, they also have a crippling effect on the country’s growth. It is estimated that of the 4.58 million people between 20 and 79 years old are suffering from diabetes in South Africa. In 2019, 52.4% were undiagnosed with the disease. While the accumulated economic losses to SA’s “gross domestic product between 2006 to 2015 due to diabetes, stroke and coronary heart disease were estimated at R26 billion.

“Now more than ever, government needs to prioritise the health of all those living in South Africa by implementing a strong policy that will enable those living in South Africa to make more informed decisions about the type of food they are eating. HEALA is urgently calling for the National Department of Health to release the regulation on Front of Pack Warning Labels to empower all South Africans.  We believe that this can no longer be delayed in order to encourage South Africans to make healthier food choices,” says Nzama Mbalati, Head of Programmes at HEALA.

South Africans can no longer be contend with confusing and difficult to understand back of pack labels.  Front-of-package warning labels (FOPWL) on foods high in sugar, salt and saturated fat and containing non-sugar sweeteners provide consumers with a quick and uncomplicated way to understand what is in their food – helping them make healthier food choices by avoiding these unhealthy food products. 

FOPWL is aimed at discouraging consumers from buying and overconsuming unhealthy products by clearly alerting them of the dangerous nutrients contained in the food. Also FOPL will be key for refomulation to lower threshold of packaged food products hence reducing excessive unhealthy food intake at population level.

Nutrition warning labels highlight excessive nutrients of concern and often include the text “high in” or “excess,” warning consumers that the levels of those nutrients are above health recommendations.

Research has shown that effective front-of-pack labels will allow consumers to make accurate conclusions concerning the nutritional quality of a product by translating the back-of-pack nutrition information into an intuitive and abbreviated format

“It has been many years of waiting. We believe that food regulation is at the centre of encouraging and empowering consumers to make healthier choices and this is in line with the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation for better regulation of the food environment,” Mbalati explains.

Left to their own devices, food and beverage industries are unlikely to implement measures to safeguard public health. It is up to government to create a regulatory system in place that works to protect consumers from the dangers of ultra-processed food and those high in salt, fat, and sugar.

“We believe that government will make the right choice and not listen to the food and beverage industry who want to look out for their own interests,” concludes Mbalati.

“Ends”

Issued on Behalf of HEALA by:

Maverick Brand Communications

Contact:

Neo Merafi- 071 359 9738

Or

Crosby Amos- 082 561 3544

For HEALA:

Nzama Mbalati- 082 734 5414