Last week, the Mexican Ministry of Health passed an amendment to two main regulations governing labeling and advertising of food products and beverages. The amendment intends to (i).
Chlorine dioxide: Who sells this illegal and toxic substance in Argentina and other countries in the region?
Ilustración: Alina Najlis y Santiago Quintero.
Lucía Gardel | Tiempo de lectura: 14 minutos
26 Abril, 2021 18:22 pm | Tiempo de lectura: 14 minutos
Although chlorine dioxide is not authorized as a medication in Argentina or any regulatory agency in the world, this substance is promoted as a “miraculous cure” for many illnesses, including coronavirus. It is promoted by people that consider themselves to be prominent church members, who have open court cases, politicians, influencers, fans of Andreas Kalcker and even dietitians. Despite some platforms have fixed policies to remove content harmful to health, Chequeado identified tens of posts that recommend this substance and sell it on WhatsApp.
Photo credit: JackF – adobe.stock.com Required front-of-pack (FOP) declarations on all prepackaged food and non-alcoholic beverages sold in Mexico could inspire Latin American or other countries to establish their own labeling regulations as well.
In recent years, Latin American countries Chile (1), Peru (2), Brazil (3), Colombia (4), Argentina (5), and Ecuador (6) have established or considered establishing front-of-pack (FOP) labeling requirements for packaged foods and beverages. These laws vary in the style of communicating information, ranging from information-based quantitative declarations to warning sign-styles.
Mexico, which for several years has had an information-based FOP labeling system, recently adopted a warning sign-framework similar to FOP regulations in Chile but that goes further.