Food Traffic Light Labeling Policy and Implications for Public Health Nutrition in Iran
摘要
Alarm bells have been rung for the entire world as a result of the growth in the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). According to the Iranian government, NCDs are also considered to be one of the most significant health problems, as they are responsible for 56.8% of all deaths. Following an action that was in line with the global acts of the World Health Organization, the NCDs Prevention Program was launched in Iran in 2014. As part of this effort, one of the policies adopted was the labeling of food products with traffic lights, which was implemented as mandatory in 2016 after being voluntarily applied for two years. Governments can use nutrition labels as a policy instrument to affect consumer behavior to encourage consumers to make mindful decisions about the foods they consume. This chapter assesses the nutrition labels and the food traffic light label policy process in Iran, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of this policy.