A study in Caricom to pick the best fit front labeling model
The impact study to be done by Caricom Private Sector Organization will assess various FOPL models, said CPSO economic and trade consultant Dr. Patrick Antoine while addressing a webinar CPSO on the issue on Thursday. The webinar was organized by CPSO and the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association.
To guide Caricom countries on shaping policy surrounding ‘front of package’ labelling, or FOPL, standards for manufactured goods, the trade bloc will be conducting an eight-month study on what is currently a hot-button issue.
The JMEA has said it is broadly on board with the FOPL initiative, which is meant to help consumers make healthier food choices to reduce non-communicable diseases' incidences. Still, they have concerns about its potential commercial impact, having noted in past statements that the warning labels could create the impression that a product was unhealthy.
“The JMEA believes that introduction of such measures must be rooted in a model which provides the best fit for the realities faced by Jamaica and other Caricom countries,” said Deputy President of the JMEA Jerome Miles during the webinar.
Both the JMEA and the CPSO are at loggerheads with the Pan American Health Organization, the regional body charged with overseeing health policy at a multilateral level. Miles noted that JMEA had registered concerns about implementing new FOPL standards using 'PAHO Thresholds.'
The study, titled 'The Caricom Impact Assessment Determination of an Appropriate FOPL Scheme and the Identification of a Harmonized Approach for Implementation,' will occur between May and December of this year.
Antoine said, “The related preliminary processes for this work have already commenced, and we anticipate the unswerving support of the entire community in this ‘whole of society’ approach in facilitating the space required to undertake this work.”
He also said, “We should use the best experiences in Jamaica and other Caricom countries, where we have done it well, in ensuring that we do not make these unforced errors in instituting models without the benefit of the scientific help or without looking to find the best FOPL model that is good for Caricom,”
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