Chile’s 2016 Food-Labeling Rules Coincided with Drop in Excess Weight among Young Schoolchildren

Chile's 2016 rules requiring black octagonal stop-sign labels on foods high in sugar, fat, salt or calories coincided with reduced excess weight among children aged 4 to 6, according to a study published in The Lancet on Thursday, June 11. Researchers from Adolfo Ibañez University in Santiago and the Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology at the University of Chile examined body mass index records for more than 300,000 children enrolled in public and government-subsidized private schools.

The study found the law produced a significant drop in excess weight in the months after implementation.

The regulations also barred sales of labeled products inside schools, including cafeterias and vending machines, and prohibited advertising that used mascots, collectible figurines or stickers on those items. Chile introduced the measures while facing some of the world's highest rates of excess weight: 74 percent of adults and 50 percent of children.

A photograph dated June 17, 2020, shows a supermarket in Santiago displaying the labeling system.

French lawmakers have introduced proposals for comparable restrictions on food advertising and sales. The study authors noted that the policy recognized how the food environment shapes behavior and applied the rules uniformly across packaging, schools and marketing.