Pre-packaged foods and beverages 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.

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.

It is on this premise that HEALA started the #whatsinmyfood campaign, the aim of which is to encourage South Africans to question the contents of the processed foods they eat and understand how high levels of sugar, salt and saturated fat negatively affect their health. The overarching message of this campaign is “you have the right to know what’s in your food”. The campaign also reveals the complexity of current food labels and how they disempower the consumer from making healthy food choices. HEALA will continue to campaign and advocate for progressive Front of Package Labelling related policies and regulations that have been proven to work.

Take the pledge to demand that government require the food and beverage industry to put warning labels on food at What’s In My Food