Chile's comprehensive policies targeting foods high in fat, salt, and sugar are associated with a reduced risk of overweight and obesity among school-age children, according to a study published in The Lancet on June 11.
The Food Labelling and Advertising Law (FLAL), implemented in 2016, introduced mandatory front-of-package warning labels for foods and drinks high in sugars, saturated fats, salt, or calories. The law also restricts the sale of such products in schools and limits marketing directed at children. National data from more than 300,000 schoolchildren aged four to six were analyzed to compare weight trends before and after FLAL's introduction.
Researchers found that after 18 months under FLAL Phase 1, girls had a 2.9% lower risk of overweight or obesity compared to pre-FLAL rates (a reduction of 1.4 percentage points from a rate of 47.7%), while boys had a 2.4% lower risk (a reduction of 1.2 percentage points from a pre-FLAL rate of 52%). After only six months under the policy, girls showed a reduction of 0.9 percentage points (from a pre-FLAL prevalence of 47.4%) and boys showed a reduction of 1.2 percentage points (from a pre-FLAL prevalence of 52%).
Phases two and three of FLAL introduced stricter limits on targeted nutrients but did not affect the study results as they began in later years.
Dr. Nieves Valdes, Associate Professor at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez Business School in Chile, said: "Although the reduction in obesity and overweight risk among young school children may seem modest, it is likely that the further tightening of the law in later years will have increased the impact, especially given evidence that there was a greater drop in sales of labelled food products during Phase 2..."
Valdes added: "Additionally, even a small weight reduction for children who have overweight or obesity is likely to bring meaningful long-term health benefits..."
The researchers acknowledged limitations including reliance on assumptions about nutrition trends without FLAL intervention and potential imprecision since children's weights were collected by trained school staff rather than healthcare professionals.
In an accompanying comment not involved with the study itself, Professor Simone Pettigrew and Dr. Daisy Coyle from The George Institute for Global Health said: "In particular, the results highlight the potential for policy suites including mandatory warning labels and marketing restrictions on unhealthy foods...to produce meaningful outcomes."
