Healthy foods with black seals: what they are and why they advise buying them anyway

The frontal food labeling law is already applied on a large scale throughout the country -although not 100% yet- and one of the surprises it generated was the appearance of

on

.

Even in several

, whose consumption specialists usually recommend.

Through 

on each container, the Ministry of Health now warns when a product has "excess

", "excess

", "excess

", "excess

" and/or "excess

" , all this in relation to parameters of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Manufacturers must also inform, in this case with rectangular black labels, if the food contains

and if its recipe includes 

, to discourage its consumption in children and adolescents.

That the gondolas of

,

,

,

and

would be filled with these stamps was to be expected, and so it happened.

But they also proliferated in

.

In the sweet cookie aisle, almost all the options now have several black octagons.

Photo: Marcelo Carroll.

black stamps everywhere

For example, there are now several 

options with

health warnings on the packaging: for sugars and fats in the case of whole yogurt, and for sodium and sweeteners in 

.

This is the

of black labels (2) that people might see on packets of

 or a

.

Also

or pategrás usually now has

stamps (for sodium, total fat, saturated fat and calories).

There are as many black stamps as those that, for example, bear a Kinder egg, an almond dessert or a box of dulce de leche

.

Would it then be necessary to avoid the consumption of yoghurts or cheeses as much as "junk" snacks and chocolates?

Does

?

Yogurts with deterrent labels, both in whole and skim versions.

The warning system and its limits

Sergio Britos

, a medical specialist in Nutrition and director of the Center for Studies on Food Policies and Economics (CEPEA), explains to

that the black octagons, due to how the system was designed, will appear in various 

.

And that no one should automatically stop consuming them when they see the stamp, but rather

, perhaps preferring the options with 

within the category.

"It is something that we have raised at the time when the law was being discussed and that is typical of warning labeling models, which by their very nature 'make

' foods that

may be more healthy than unhealthy", comment.

It happens that the law did not contemplate any way to inform if the product

or

the healthy limit established by PAHO for each nutrient: in either case, in view of the consumer, the seal will be the same.

This is how now, sometimes, the common and the light version of the same product

, which also attracts attention.

Guided only by the stamps, there would be no difference between a common jam and its light version.

On the other hand, the warning system 

of the food, even when these could outweigh the excesses in a global evaluation.

"To counteract these

of the system that has been adopted, it would be necessary to have extensive

food 

is generated ," says Britos.

Hard and soft cheeses, with three or four deterrent stamps just like the candies.

What are the foods that now have seals but advise to continue consuming?

The specialist pointed out four 

 that have been particularly affected by this "invisibility" effect caused by stamps:

1. Yogurt

.

This food -one of the few

in our diet- offers all the benefits of milk for health (such as good quality protein, calcium and vitamins), plus several of its own.

Some contain probiotics.

Britos undoubtedly recommends consuming yogurt regularly, even if it has stamps.

Of course, trying to choose the ones with 

 .

2. Cheese

.

According to the expert, although it has more fat and sodium than milk (its raw material), "it is still a

" to eat in

.

It is because of its high contribution of calcium, protein and other favorable nutrients.

"In cheese, the stamps can confuse more than give good information," he laments.

The

and

 , he adds, tend to have less sodium than the hard and spreadable ones.

3. Canned vegetables

.

Vegetables and legumes in cans or cardboard (peas, lentils, chickpeas, spinach, etc.) may have a sodium seal 

but that

, according to Britos.

"The Argentine diet has a serious deficit of these foods. So, although it is always better to eat them fresh, in many homes canning is a

way to add them," he defends.

4. Canned fish

.

They carry seals for

and -if they are in oil- for fat.

But, as the consumption of fish -rich in protein, vitamins and other healthy nutrients- is also low in the country, Britos calls for continuing to buy

canned

"For the most part, the excess sodium 

," he says.

All these examples, as highlighted, belong to food groups

in its Dietary Guidelines for the Argentine Population (

).

There are two stamps on fries and nachos, for fat and calories.

Photo: Marcelo Carroll.

To take into account: the keys to law 27,642 on frontal food labeling

-

.

Manufacturers and importers of food and beverages for

, which does not include gastronomic establishments.

-

.

The seals -one for each excess nutrient- must be on the

 of the container, occupying at least

of the surface.

-

.

Common sugar, vegetable oils, nuts and common table salt are not required to have stamps.

-

.

Products with more than one stamp must remove any type of child, animation, cartoon or celebrity character.

Nor can they be sponsored by medical entities.

MDG

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