DOES THE LANGUAGE USED IN - PowerPoint Presentation

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DOES THE LANGUAGE USED IN LABELLING OF FOOD MATTER?

Yashasvi Sanja Perera ASCEND Research Network Trainee cohort 2SRI LANKASlide2

Sri Lanka An Island in the Indian Ocean, off the south-eastern coast of India. It (65,610 km2) is about 0.93 times as big as Ireland (70,273km2). • Population is about 20 million.The Sinhalese, make up 74.9% of the population . Tamils are 15.4% • Official Languages: Sinhala and Tamil.Slide3

INTRODUCTIONThe Asia-Pacific region is facing an epidemic of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) partly as result of changing food habits and sedentary life styles. Estimates suggest 2% reduction of annual deaths would save lives of 8 million people over 10 years simply through simple life style modifications.Slide4

NCDs and health related informationAvailability of health related information is a critical step to gain knowledge and subsequently to have positive health related behaviour. In this regards, proper labelling of food could be considered a prerequisite to provide information that is necessary for consumers to make an informed choice as regards to their consumption patternsSlide5

LabellingDefined in the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) in the United States of America (USA) as a written, printed, or graphic matter (i) upon any article or any of its containers or wrappers or (ii) accompanying such article. Labelling is a subset of packaging. Sellers need to label their products. The label may be a simple tag attached to the product or an elaborately designed graphic that is a part of the packageSlide6

FOOD ACT Slide7

Food (Labelling & Advertising) Regulations 2005Package or container is labeled in accordance with the regulationsLabel with two languages (with certain exceptions)

Label indelibly printed or painted or affixed on the main panel (Supplementary label may be affixed for imported foods)(

i) Main panel:Common Name - two languages

Brand/Trade Name - one or more languages

(Shall not mislead the public)Net contents in international symbols

eg: g or kg, ml or lSlide8

Contd….(ii) Main or any other panel – anyone or more of the three languagesFood Additives by name or INS numberInstructions for storage/use, if any

Name & address of manufacturer, packer or distributor in Sri LankaBatch No. or Code No. or decipherable code marking

The date of expiry – exp date

The date of manufacture

Bulk imports & repacking – date of manufacture, date of repacking

List of ingredients in descending order Slide9

Country of origin for imported foodsAny other declarations required by regulationsLetter SizeCommon name minimum height 3 mm and shall be not less than 1/3 of brand name

When common name consisted of more than one word, the words shall be in identical type and size and similarly displayed25 g or 30 ml or less size packs – letter size shall not be less than 1.5 mm (exceptions may be allowed by Chief Food Authority for packages not exceeding 25 sq.cm.)

Net content & Date of Expiry letter size

Minimum Height Area 1 mm Bottles closures containing aerated waters and liquid with not exceeding 1.5 mm 120 cm2

3 mm 120 – 240 cm2 6 mm 240 – 600 cm2 9 mm exceeding 600 cm

2Slide10

Date of Expiry : Exp/Expiry/Best Before/Use BeforeOil Source has to be declaredBlended “X” Vegetable Oil

X – more than 75% of single constituent When none of the oil exceeds 75% “Blended Vegetable Oil” - Constituents shall be declared on the labelUse the word “butter”

Sugar/Chocolate confectionery – at least 4% Butter fat of total fat Flour confectionery – entirely of butter fat

Artificial Products Eg: Artificial Vinegar Similar words in Artificial Cordial close proximity

No pictorial representations

Irradiated foods should have the international logo for irradiation Slide11

Existing gapAvailability of appropriate health related information in food labels is essential for consumers to make an informed choice as regards to their consumption patterns.Studies have shown that Sri Lankan consumers are receptive to labelling and are willing to pay for these items. However, there is a wide variation in the labelling of foods. Slide12

OBJECTIVESTo describe the contents and language used in the labelling of foods in Sri Lanka.To investigate the ability of a group of potential consumers to read the contents of these labels. Slide13

METHODOLOGYPhase 1Food labels in 10 categories of pre-packaged foods (158 items) in main supermarket chains in the commercial capital of Sri Lanka (Colombo) and its suburbs were audited. A questionnaire was used to gather data from food labels of shelf itemsSlide14

The items were categorized to cover the common food items available such as biscuits, cookies, chocolates, sweets, aerated drinks, fruit juices, ice cream, cereals, butter, margarine and milk-powder. The languages used in labelling name, ingredients and nutrition information were documented, entered into a database and analysed. At least 10 brands for each food item were collected. Slide15

METHODOLOGYPhase 2A list of 10 common words used in the sections on ingredients and nutrition information were compiled. This was given to randomly selected 50 male and 50 female patients in the age group of 40-60y admitted to National Hospital of Sri Lanka with diabetes and / or ischaemic heart disease / NCDs. Slide16

RESULTSPhase 1

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN

Sri Lanka

57.6 %

Country of origin not mentioned in 3.2%

COUNTRY OF

PACKING

Sri Lanka

69 % (109)Slide17

Information on food itemThe name of the food item was present in all labels while 47 (29.7%) had it only in English and 64 (40.5%) in English and the two native Languages (i.e. Sinhala and Tamil). In 6.5% of labels contained English and other languages apart from native languagesSlide18

Information on ingredientsIn 93.5% of products the ingredients were mentioned. The language used was only English (56.2%) and Sinhala (29.9%) in majority.Slide19

Information on nutritional compositionsNutrition information and calorie compositions were provided mainly in English, and Sinhala or Tamil was used in less than 10% of labels.Slide20

Information on labelsInformation in label

Number of labels with the relevant information Language used in label (% from number of labels that give the information)

English

without Sinhala and Tamil

English, Sinhala and Tamil

Sinhala or Tamil with or without English

Ingredients

153 (96.8%)

100 (65%)

27 (17.5%)

26 (17.5%)

Nutrients

118 (74.4%)

85 (72.6%)

2 (1.8%)

9 (7.7%)

Total calorie

103 65.2%)

77 (74.8%)

1 (0.9%)

8 (7.5%)

Calorie distribution

76 (48.1%)

53 (69.7%)

1 (1.3%)

6 (7.9%)

Types of fat

46 (29.2%)

31 (67.4%)

0 (0%)

0 (0%)Slide21

Packages from Sri Lanka had a significantly higher chance of containing information in Sinhala or Tamil.Information in label

Proportion with information in one or more native languages (Sinhala or Tamil) with or without English

Odds Ratio (95% CI) of labels containing Native Language when packaged in Sri Lanka, compared to abroad

Packaged in Sri Lanka

( n=109)Packaged abroad

(n=44)

Labels89

8

20.03 (8.1- 49.6)

Ingredients

51

2

18.5 (4.3 - 80.1)

Nutrients

9

2

1.9 (0.4 - 9.1)

Total calorie

7

2

1.4 (0.3 – 7.2)

Calorie distribution

5

2

1.01 (0.2 - 5.4)

Types of fat

0

0

-

Labelling with one or more native languages ± EnglishSlide22

RESULTSPhase 2Mean age- 51.4y, male:female- 1:1 , 36% on special diets.Almost a third of adults were not able to read a single word of English commonly used in packages. Slide23

Results phase 2…The nutritional information on food items in native language was vital for their purchasing decisions in 76%. Seventy two per cent of them were willing to pay for nutritional labelling in their native languages.Slide24

DISCUSSIONFood labels in Sri Lanka provide scant information in native languages of Sinhala and Tamil. A majority of patients accessing a premier hospital in the capital were unable to read the common contents given in label.Slide25

ConclusionsLanguage compatibility of food labels to consumer needs in Sri Lanka is poor. It is mandatory to have information in Sinhala and Tamil and reverse the discrimination of persons who are unable to read EnglishThese areas need urgent attention in national legislative instruments and in international food policy agreements because of the rapid increase in cross border trade of food items. Slide26

AcknowledgementsSupported by the ASCEND Program (www.med.monash.edu.au/ascend) funded by the Fogarty International Centre, National Institutes of Health, under Award Number: D43TW008332. The contents of this [poster/booklet/publication/presentation] is solely the responsibility of the author(s) and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or the ASCEND Program.Slide27

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