DRAFT DODGING: Three years, 6,000 pages, no labels: Who’s stalling SA’s food warnings?
The health department says it has reworked South Africa’s proposed warning labels on sugary, salty and fatty foods, partly to spare the industry unnecessary costs. But no one outside the government has seen the new draft, and it is now being debated behind closed doors at Nedlac, more than three years after it was published.
South Africa's draft warning labels for sugary, salty and fatty foods have been under debate for over three years after being published. The health department claims the reworked regulations were intended to save industry costs, but the new draft remains unseen by the public. The National Department of Health received submissions from 179 companies and organizations, totaling over 6,000 pages.
Despite this, some organizations, like Priceless SA, have not been informed about how their submissions were considered or incorporated into the regulatory process. The Department of Health has now moved the process to the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) for further discussion and consensus-building. However, concerns have been raised about the lack of transparency and whether the community sector's voice is adequately represented within Nedlac.
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