The effectiveness of front-of-pack warning labels in assisting South African consumers to identify unhealthy packaged foods

Abstract

Background: Unhealthy diets that are excessive in energy, saturated fats, trans-fat, sugar and salt are associated with obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary heart diseases and some cancers. Globally there is a decline in consumption of traditional diets and an increase in preference for energy-dense processed food, and South Africa is no exception in this regard. Concurrently, the prevalence of obesity and obesity-related complications is on the increase in South Africa and worldwide. The development of a simplified front-of-pack labelling (FOPL) system is one of the critical steps in assisting consumers to identify unhealthy food products and consequently contribute to stemming the obesity trajectory and its related complications.