Abdool Karim Safura, Frank Tamryn, Khan Alice S, Tlhako Morongoa G, Joni Sikhumbule K, Swart Elizabeth C
School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa.
Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA.
BMC Nutr. 2025 Jan 21;11(1):17. doi: 10.1186/s40795-025-01007-3.
Ultra-processed products (UPPs), high in sugar, fat and sodium, contribute to increasing burdens of obesity and non-communicable diseases in South Africa (SA). Increased consumption and acceptability of UPPs is driven, in part by aggressive marketing. Front of package labelling laws, particularly warning labels (WLs) coupled with marketing restrictions, have been recommended to improve consumer awareness of unhealthy products, incentivise reformulation and underpin other interventions. The SA government published a draft regulation to introduce WLs and restrict marketing, called R3337. This study aims to analyse on-package marketing and create a baseline to evaluate compliance with the proposed R3337.
This study is an analysis of a dataset of 6768 packaged food products, collected as pictures of products in four major grocery stores in Cape Town, SA between March and July 2019. A codebook was developed based on R337. The codebook was used to identify and assess child-directed marketing (CDM) and health claims on products potentially subject to front-of-package WLs. Food packages and their nutritional information were coded and analyzed to determine whether the product would be required to carry a WL and whether the package included regulated marketing.
The majority (80.16%) of products analyzed would require WLs under R3337 due to high levels of sugar, sodium, or saturated fat. CDM was prevalent, with 59.26% of products displaying some form of marketing, primarily animated characters and depictions of children. Health claims were also common, with 83% occurring on WL products.
Using a WL system in SA could effectively target common forms of on-package marketing of unhealthy products, given the high prevalence of CDM and health claims on products likely to carry WLs. Such interventions may contribute to improving diets and reducing UPP consumption. Some forms of CDM are not regulated under R3337 and we recommend expanding the regulation to include these. This study provides a baseline which should be used for future research to evaluate R3337 when it is implemented.
超加工产品（UPPs）富含糖、脂肪和钠，导致南非（SA）肥胖和非传染性疾病负担不断增加。UPPs消费和可接受性的增加部分是由积极的营销推动的。建议实施包装正面标签法，特别是警告标签（WLs）并辅以营销限制，以提高消费者对不健康产品的认识，激励重新配方并支持其他干预措施。南非政府发布了一项引入WLs并限制营销的法规草案，即R3337。本研究旨在分析包装上的营销情况，并创建一个基线来评估对拟议的R3337的合规情况。
本研究对6768种包装食品的数据集进行分析，这些数据是2019年3月至7月期间在南非开普敦的四家主要杂货店作为产品图片收集的。基于R337制定了一个编码手册。该编码手册用于识别和评估针对儿童的营销（CDM）以及可能适用包装正面WLs的产品上的健康声明。对食品包装及其营养信息进行编码和分析，以确定该产品是否需要携带WL，以及包装是否包含受监管的营销内容。
由于糖、钠或饱和脂肪含量高，在R3337规定下，分析的大多数产品（80.16%）需要WLs。CDM很普遍，59.26%的产品展示了某种形式的营销，主要是动画角色和儿童形象。健康声明也很常见，83%出现在需要WL的产品上。
鉴于可能携带WL的产品上CDM和健康声明的高发生率，在南非使用WL系统可以有效地针对不健康产品常见的包装营销形式。此类干预措施可能有助于改善饮食并减少UPP的消费。某些形式的CDM不在R3337的监管范围内，我们建议扩大监管范围以涵盖这些内容。本研究提供了一个基线，应在R3337实施时用于未来评估该法规的研究。
