G/TBT/GEN/243  
 
23 March 2018  
(18-1789) Page: 1/2 
 Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
UPDATE FROM THE WORL D HEALTH ORGANIZATIO N 
STATEMENT BY WHO  
This document contains information provided by WHO at the TBT Committee meeting of 
21-22 March 2018 under Agenda Item 5 (Observers).  
 
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1.1.  We have informed this Committee at the number of previous sessions that WHO considers 
the implementation of nutrition labelling as one of the important policy measures for promoting 
healthy diets to ensure nutritional well -being and prevent obesity and die t-related 
noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).  
1.2.  This was reiterated in various global commitments and action plans endorsed by the World 
Health Assembly (WHA), including:  
 the Comprehensive Implementation Plan on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition 
which was endorsed together with the Global Nutrition Targets in 2012;  
 the Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases 
2013 – 2020 which was endorsed together with Global NCD targets in 2013;  
 the Rome Declaration and Framework f or Action adopted by the 2nd International 
Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) in 2014 which served as a basis for the UN General 
Assembly proclaiming 2016 – 2025 as the Decade of Action for Nutrition; and  
 more recently in 2016 the report of the Commission on E nding Childhood Obesity which 
was established by the WHO Director -General.  
1.3.  WHO also held a technical meeting on nutrition labelling in 2015 which led to the 
development of guiding principles and framework manual for front -of-pack labelling for promoting 
healthy diets and  they will be field -tested in countries in the South East Asia Region throughout 
the course of 2018. In addition, a formal guideline development process has started to develop 
official WHO policy guidelines related to nutrition labelling to gether with several other priority 
policy measures to promote healthy diets, such as marketing restriction and fiscal policies (i.e. 
taxation).  
1.4.  Various initiatives are being taken also by different Member States in implementing nutrition 
labelling policies . According to the outcomes of the 2nd Global Nutrition Policy Review which WHO 
undertook during 2016 – 2017, we observed some transformation happening at the country level 
and that is increasing number of countries are taking various regulatory actions to  promote 
healthy diets, including the implementation of nutrition labelling policies. In fact, 81% of 158 
Member States which provided the response regarding policy actions they are taking to promote 
healthy diets, reported that they are in fact implementi ng nutrition labelling policies.   
1.5.  Furthermore, as part of implementation mechanism under the umbrella of the Decade of 
Action on Nutrition, France, possibly together with several other Member States, is establishing the 
Action Network on nutrition labellin g to provide a platform to share country experiences, review 
different policies and types of front -of-pack labelling systems being implemented by countries, G/TBT/GEN/243  
 
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  develop common knowledge and share technical expertise to mention just a few. At the regional 
level too, several Action Networks are being established to promote healthy diets. For instance, 
the Network for healthy food environments in the Americas is led by Chile together with Brazil and 
is currently participated by Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Co lombia, CARICOM, Ecuador, Mexico, 
Peru and Uruguay. The Network will provide a platform for collective advocacy and action on 
proven population -based policies to prevent obesity, such as front -of-pack labelling, restricting the 
marketing of unhealthy foods  and non -alcoholic beverages to children and effective taxes on 
sugar -sweetened beverages.  
1.6.  Also in the context of Codex, as informed this Committee at the last session in November 
2016, at the 44th Session of Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) held in Paraguay in 
October 2017, CCFL had agreed to start a new work to develop guidelines on front -of-pack 
labelling systems, and to submit the request for undertaking this new work for approval to Codex 
Alimentarious Commission in July 2018. This was prompte d by the fact that currently no Codex 
guideline or guidance on front -of-pack labelling as such exists.  We are happy to inform this 
Committee that CCFL noted WHO 's work on guiding principles for front -of-pack nutrition labelling 
systems and evidence reviews  on nutrition labelling that are being developed as part of the 
guideline development for promoting healthy diets, be taken into considerations in the 
development of the Codex guideline, as this will ensure the coherent and harmonized guidance to 
Member St ates from both WHO and Codex and will facilitate the effective implementation of critical 
policy actions to achieve nutrition and health -related Sustainable Development Goals.  
1.7.   Also at the 44th CCFL, taking into consideration the discussion paper prepared by WHO and  
with the support of a number of countries particularly from those concerned with increased 
availability and consumption of alcoholic beverages, CCFL had agreed to develop a discussion 
paper on issues related to alcoholic beverage labelling (to b e led by Russian Federation with 
support of EU, Ghana, India and Senegal), including the information on the existing state of play in 
various Member States.  
1.8.   In WHO, at the World Health Assembly in May 2017, a revised set of priority measures for 
preventio n and control of NCDs was endorsed  and these measures also included the measures to 
reduce the harmful use of alcohol . This set of measures encompasses providing consumer 
information and labelling alcoholic beverages to indicate the harm related to alcohol  consumption.  
1.9.  The 13th General Programme of Work (GPW) which will guide the work of WHO during 2019 – 
2023 was reviewed by the WHO Executive Board meeting in January 2018 and will now be 
forwarded to the World Health Assembly in May 2018 for its final revi ew and endorsement. The 
13th GPW states that  "WHO will strengthen its public voice – based on science and evidence – and 
advocate for progress especially in areas of particular importance identified in GPW 13. WHO will 
speak up against practices from any s ector including industry that, based on evidence, are harmful 
to health. Consistent with its Constitution, WHO will be at the forefront of advocating for the right 
to health in order to achieve the highest attainable standard of health for all. "  
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