?????????????On 12 November, Law N° 27642 for the promotion of healthy foods was published on the Official Gazette. It formally introduces the front-of-pack (FOP) labelling in Argentina and applies for processed foods and non-alcoholic beverages packaged and marketed in that country.

The law remained the same as the latest version of the bill discussed and approved on 26 October at the Argentina's Congress, being the main points the following:

• Products exceeding the nutrient profiles shall display in the main panel of the package a black and white octagon with the phrase ?EXCESS? for sugars, sodium, saturated fat, total fat and calories.
• According to the text the nutrient profiles adopted will be the ones from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), however the corresponding technical regulation shall describe how this will be implemented. 
• In case of products containing sweeteners and/or caffeine, the packaging must bear the warning statement "Contains sweeteners, not recommended for children" and/or "Contains caffeine. Avoid in children", as appropriate.
• Foods and non-alcoholic beverages containing at least a warning seal are prohibited from incorporating claims (nutrition and helath), logos or phrases with the sponsorship or endorsements of scientific societies or civil associations, children's characters, animations, cartoons, celebrities, sportsmen and women, etc.
• The above-mentioned restrictions also affect the product advertising and any other marketing strategy. 
• The black and white logo shall be also included in the food advertising (when applicable) and the product advertising cannot be directed to children. 
• Products bearing at least one warning seal cannot be sold/distributed in scholar places. 

According to the Law, the corresponding technical regulation shall be published by 10 February 2022. Companies have 6 months to adapt their labels and include the FOP labelling (except Small and medium-sized enterprises which will have 12 months). 

This rules will be complementary to those resulting from MERCOSUR's discussions to get a harmonised FOP labelling regulation. This way, this the tenth FOP labelling approved in the region, resulting in the following map:

Reach out to us to know more about the FOP labelling regulation in Argentina and across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Published: 27 October, 2021

Updated: 15 November, 2021

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