Positioning the Coalition as a relevant federal actor on current issues related to healthy eating.
Description
Recently, in Argentina, the Law on the Promotion of Healthy Eating, better known as the front-of-package labelling law, was passed. This new law, in addition to establishing mandatory warning labels on foodstuffs with excess of critical nutrients (sugar, salt and fat), regulates other issues such as restrictions on advertising, promotion and sponsorship by the food industry (with a special focus on advertising aimed at children and adolescents), prohibition of marketing and offering of processed and ultra-processed products in school environments and promotion of healthy purchases by the state.
Although the law was passed last October, its regulation is still necessary, as well as the construction of certain political consensuses to enable full application across provincial territories. In particular, with regard to educational establishments, regulation is needed for advertising and food assistance programmes. Within this framework, the Coalition, made up of representatives of the different provinces of the country, has the capacity to play an essential role in order to advance in the relevant political consensus to guarantee the full application of the law throughout the Argentine territories.
Overarching commitment (for commitments submitted pre-2025)
Title
Strengthening of a federal coalition to influence public policies related to malnutrition in childhood
Description
In developing countries such as Argentina, the prevalence of being overweight and obese has grown in recent years, as undernutrition has not yet been eradicated. Malnutrition by excess has grown steadily and affects mainly the people who are economically and socially vulnerable. These populations have been primarily impacted because healthy diets are more expensive than ultra-processed food and are less nutritious; fruits, vegetables, milk products, fish and meats are consumed less by individuals with lower incomes. Instead, greater amounts of products with high amounts of fat, sugar and refined flour are preferred because they are cheaper. The response of the Argentinian state has been implemented through welfare policies – giving money or food, for example – that have focused on the right to be free from hunger, but without consideration of the quality and nutritional value of the food provided. This situation highlighted the necessity to include a high-quality, nutrition-focused approach.
In this context, the Coalition was created in 2017, at the initiative of UNICEF Argentina and the Fundación Internacional de Cardiología (International Cardiology Foundation) Argentina. Originally formed by 30 civil society organisations (CSOs), this network now comprises more than 50 CSOs. During 2021, a new statute defining the mode of functioning was discussed, voted on and came into force in September. In October, the coordination of the Coalition changed, and the Fundación para el Desarrollo de Políticas Sustentables (Foundation for the Development of Sustainable Policies), or FUNDEPS, assumed this leading role.
GNR assessment
| Verification status |
Unverified
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| SMARTness index |
Lower moderate
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Details
| Target population characteristic |
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|---|---|
| Global nutrition target(s) |
Childhood overweight
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| Nutrition Action Classification(s) |
Enabling >
Leadership and governance
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| Linked event(s) |
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| N4G Summit theme(s) |
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Measurement
| Key indicator | Number of advocacy and communication actions |
|---|---|
| Measurement plan | Collect own data |
| Value | Measurement date | |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline | 3 Actions | 2021 |
| Target | 30 Actions | December 2022 |
