Public Policy Reform Needed to Ensure Healthier Eating Habits, University of São Paulo Experts Say
The Law and Public Policy Group (GDPP) at USP is promoting an international seminar on the Regulation of Food Systems in Brazil, with the aim of contributing to the debate on the food and nutritional quality of the Brazilian population, as well as discussing the improvement of public policy arrangements and existing regulatory regimes. Diogo Rosenthal Coutinho, a member of the group and a professor at USP’s Law School, comments that “it is important for the population to be able to follow this discussion. This has to do with people’s daily lives, it has to do with very basic things in our lives, starting with what we consume.”
He states that there are laws in Brazil that provide for these rights, but that, according to him, things are still “abstract”. Theory is not enough to account for practice and many still need to be discussed and detailed: “[The principles provided for] require arrangements or implementation mechanisms, so in fact it is not enough for them to exist and that is it. There is a need for mechanisms that make them effective, that make them real in people’s real lives”.
Interdisciplinary debate
With experts from Brazil and around the world, the seminar The Regulation of Food Systems in Brazil will address healthy eating as a public policy in an interdisciplinary manner. The goal is to further bring this issue into the public debate and as a community measure, beyond an individual decision. Based on this, the discussion will focus on existing measures and possible solutions and alternatives, in addition to the obstacles to this regulation.
An example of a regulatory measure is the visual information recently added to the packaging of processed foods, indicating which harmful substance the product contains in excess. “Information is something that depends on regulation by the authorities, because consumers do not necessarily know the nutritional content of the food they buy,” says Coutinho, adding that people have the right to know that what they eat can cause illness.
The professor states that access to healthy food is not easy, and that regulatory arrangements are therefore needed as part of a public policy objective. “In this sense, this meeting aims to bring together experts and many areas of academia, government, civil society, law and nutrition in an effort to discuss this type of challenge.” The idea is to debate the construction of a regulatory framework in favor of healthy food in Brazil, putting the population first.
Interests that resist
Diogo Coutinho says that there are major disputes over the interpretation of the rules. On one side, activists and nutritionists, and on the other, the food industry, which has an economic interest in not offering broad access to information or complying with so many restrictions. The recent measure on labels, in fact, was a “battle” to be put into practice, according to the expert.
The food industry, especially the ultra-processed food industry, is strongly resisting regulatory action. “The laws exist, but it takes a lot of effort to make them effectively valid, and that is always a struggle,” he says. But the relevance of the issue is also growing: ultra-processed foods with low nutritional quality are becoming increasingly cheaper compared to real food, and if this trend continues unchecked, it poses a serious risk to the population’s health.
The very concept of ultra-processed food is a legally disputed concept. “It is important that Brazilian law begins to discuss what the category of ultra-processed food means, because without it it may be more difficult to regulate and promote the objectives of this public policy of healthy eating.” Regarding the industry’s resistance to collaboration, he adds: “Even if there is a dialogue, when the time comes, the industry resists and blocks regulatory initiatives, often with controversial arguments.” That is why, for him, it is so important that this debate be transparent and conducted openly and together with the population.
The event will be held on Monday, August 26, at the USP Law School, located in the city center and close to the Sé Station on the Blue Line 1 of the Metro. The event is scheduled to open at 9 am and close at 5:30 pm. The event is open to the public and free of charge, but registration is required. To do so, simply visit the Law and Public Policy Group (GDPP) website and fill out a form with simple information.