'I had never seen so many lobbyists': food industry political practices during the development of a new nutrition front-of-pack labelling system in Colombia.

OBJECTIVE: To identify and monitor food industry use of political practices during the adoption of nutrition warning labels (WL) in Colombia. DESIGN: Document analysis of publicly available information triangulated with interviews. SETTING: Colombia. PARTICIPANTS: Eighteen key informants from the government (n 2), academia (n 1), civil society (n 12), the media (n 2) and a former food industry employee (n 1). RESULTS: In Colombia, the food industry used experts and groups funded by large transnationals to promote its preferred front-of-pack nutrition labelling (FOPL) and discredit the proposed warning models. The industry criticised the proposed WL, discussing the negative impacts they would have on trade, the excessive costs required to implement them and the fact that consumers were responsible for making the right choices about what to eat. Food industry actors also interacted with the government and former members of large trade associations now in decision-making positions in the public sector. The Codex Alimentarius was also a platform through which the industry got access to decision-making and could influence the FOPL policy. CONCLUSIONS: In Colombia, the food industry used a broad range of political strategies that could have negatively influenced the FOPL policy process. Despite this influence, the mandatory use of WL was announced in February 2020. There is an urgent need to condemn such political practices as they still could prevent the implementation of other internationally recommended measures to improve population health in the country and abroad, nutrition WL being only of them.

"The architecture of the state was transformed in favour of the interests of companies": corporate political activity of the food industry in Colombia.

BACKGROUND: In Colombia, public health policies to improve food environments, including front-of-pack nutrition labelling and marketing restrictions for unhealthy products, are currently under development. Opposition to these policies by the food industry is currently delaying and weakening these efforts. This opposition is commonly known as 'corporate political activity' (CPA) and includes instrumental (action-based) strategies and discursive (argument-based) strategies. Our aim was to identify the CPA of the food industry in Colombia. METHODS: We conducted a document analysis of information available in the public domain published between January-July 2019. We triangulated this data with interviews with 17 key informants. We used a deductive approach to data analysis, based on an existing framework for the CPA of the food industry. RESULTS: We identified 275 occurrences of CPA through our analysis of publicly available information. There were 197 examples of instrumental strategies and 138 examples of discursive strategies (these categories are not mutually exclusive, 60 examples belong to both categories). Interview participants also shared information about the CPA in the country. The industry used its discursive strategies to portray the industry in a 'better light', demonstrating its efforts in improving food environments and its role in the economic development of the country. The food industry was involved in several community programmes, including through public private initiatives. The industry also captured the media and tried to influence the science on nutrition and non-communicable diseases. Food industry actors were highly prominent in the policy sphere, through their lobbying, close relationships with high ranking officials and their support for self-regulation in the country. CONCLUSIONS: The proximity between the industry, government and the media is particularly evident and remains largely unquestioned in Colombia. The influence of vulnerable populations in communities and feeling of insecurity by public health advocates is also worrisome. In Colombia, the CPA of the food industry has the potential to weaken and delay efforts to develop and implement public health policies that could improve the healthiness of food environments. It is urgent that mechanisms to prevent and manage the influence of the food industry are developed in the country.

[FOOD SOURCES OF SODIUM: ANALYSIS BASED ON A NATIONAL SURVEY IN COLOMBIA]. / ALIMENTOS FUENTES DE SODIO: ANÁLISIS BASADO EN UNA ENCUESTA NACIONAL EN COLOMBIA.

UNLABELLED: A high sodium intake is an independent risk factor for Cardiovascular diseases -CVD-. Thus, a strategy to reduce blood pressure and CVD risk throughout reducing sodium intake is promoted worldwide. In order to design an adequate strategy, it is important to identify the main sources of sodium in food, which has been evaluated mainly in developed countries. OBJECTIVES: to identify foods that provide sodium in Colombians diet, based on data from the National Nutritional Survey -ENSIN-. Furthermore, to determine sodium amount intake from foods. METHODS: data obtained by 24 hours recall (R24h) from 39 413 apparently healthy, non-pregnant population between 2-64 y old population were analyzed. Food groups source of sodium and sodium were determined. RESULTS: 1 274 food were reported by R24h. 95 foods contributed with 72% of total sodium from foods and were divided into 12 groups. The mayor sodium source in the diet was bakery products (30.5%). Average and median sodium intake without salt addition were: 816.4 ± 474.1 and 721.0 mg/d variable (RQ = 476.0 to 1051.0)mg/d, respectively. Sodium intake from food was higher in men (784.0 mg/d; RQ = 511.0 to 1156.0) than in females (665.0 mg/d; RQ = 448.0 to 953.0); p < 0.001. CONCLUSION: the present study identified the main sources of sodium in Colombians diet. Based on this analysis it is important to prioritize strategies in some groups, especially bakery products. It is also necessary to consider geographical area to implement a relevant strategy.

La ingesta elevada de sodio es un factor de riesgo independiente para el desarrollo de enfermedades cardiovasculares ­ECV­. Por este motivo, a nivel global se promueve la implementación de la "reducción de la ingesta de sal/sodio como estrategia para la reducción de las ECV". Para tal fin es importante identificar las fuentes de sodio en la dieta, lo cual hasta la fecha solo se ha realizado, fundamentalmente, en países desarrollados. Objetivos: identificar los alimentos que más sodio aportan a la dieta de los colombianos, basados en los datos de la Encuesta Nacional de la Situación Nutricional ­ENSIN­ de Colombia. Además, se pretende determinar el nivel de ingesta de sodio proveniente de alimentos en el país. Métodos: se analizaron datos de 39.413 individuos aparentemente sanos, no gestantes, entre los 2 y los 64 años de edad, obtenidos mediante R24h en la ENSIN. Se determinaron los grupos de alimentos que suponen una fuente de sodio, así como el sodio ingerido a partir de dichos alimentos. Resultados: se reportaron 1.274 alimentos y la agrupación de alimentos se realizó con un total de 95, los cuales aportaron un 72% del sodio total proveniente de los alimentos. Estos últimos se dividieron en 12 grupos. Dentro de estos, el de mayor aporte de sodio a la dieta fue el de productos de panadería (30,5%). El promedio de ingesta de sodio por persona proveniente del total de alimentos, sin adición de sal, fue 816,4 ± 474,1 mg/d. La mediana de la misma variable a nivel nacional fue de 721,0 mg/d (RQ = 476,0-1051,0). La ingesta fue mayor en hombres (784,0 mg/d; RQ = 511,0-1156,0) que en mujeres (665,0 mg/d; RQ = 448,0-953,0); p < 0,001. Conclusión: el presente trabajo identificó las principales fuentes de sodio en la dieta de los colombianos y sugiere la conveniencia de priorizar estrategias para la disminución del contenido de sodio en estos grupos, en especial el grupo de productos de panadería. Igualmente, es necesario tener en cuenta la pertinencia de las estrategias según zona geográfica a la cual estén destinadas.

Contenido de sodio en alimentos procesados comercializados en Colombia, según el etiquetado nutricional / Sodium content in processed foods from Colombia evaluated by nutritional labeling

Antecedentes: el etiquetado nutricional es una oportunidad para obtener datos del contenido de sodio en alimentos empacados. Objetivo: describir el contenido de sodio de los alimentos procesados líderes en ventas en una cadena de hipermercados con presencia nacional en Colombia; a partir de fotografías del etiquetado nutricional. Materiales y métodos: se obtuvo la información de contenido de sodio de alimentos a partir de fotografías del etiquetado nutricional, posteriormente se agruparon en 15 categorías. La información de contenido de sodio se unificó al aporte por 100 g o mL de producto. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo del contenido de sodio en las distintas categorías: media, rango máximo y mínimo. Se determinaron los porcentajes de ingesta adecuada y nivel máximo de consumo tolerable de sodio que aporta cada categoría por porción. Resultados: fueron evaluados 426 productos. La media y el rango del contenido de sodio por 100 g de las categorías con mayor contenido del mineral fueron: condimentos y esencias (5829 mg; 0-21000), salsas y aderezos (2426 mg; 0-7818), comida lista para consumir (1929 mg; 41-6400) y carnes procesadas (1068 mg; 44-7455). Existe una alta variabilidad en el contenido de sodio entre categorías y al interior de una misma categoría. Conclusión: los datos reportados son un insumo para la generación de metas de reducción del contenido de sodio en alimentos procesados distribuidos en Colombia y abren una ventana de investigación y desarrollo para la industria de alimentos.

Background: Nutrition labels provide an opportunity to obtain data of sodium content in packaged foods. Objective: To describe sodium content, by nutritional labeling, from processed food obtained from a leader supermarket in Colombia. Materials and methods: Photos of food labels were obtained and divided into 15 categories. Sodium content per portion, 100 g, or 100 mL was analyzed. A descriptive analysis was performed by mean, range (maximum and minimum). Percentages of adequate intake and upper intake level that a portion would provide were determined. Results: 426 products were evaluated. Mean; range of sodium content per 100 g from categories with the highest mineral levels were: spices and essences (5829 mg; 0-21000), sauces and dressings (2426 mg; 0-7818), convenient meal (1929 mg; 41-6400), and processed meats (1068 mg; 44-7455). Variability in sodium content between categories and products from a same category was high. Conclusion: Data reported are an input to generate targets for sodium reduction in processed foods distributed in Colombia. Furthermore, they are an opportunity for research and development of food industry.

Vitamina D y salud ósea / Vitamin D and Healthy Bone

La vitamina D tiene un papel esencial en la homeostasis del calcio y de la salud ósea, sin embargo, investigaciones recientes han revelado que su forma activa, la 1,25-Dihidroxivitamina D (1,25 (OH2) D3 (D2)) tiene otras acciones biológicas en las células blanco. Esta vitamina es también considerada como una hormona, porque es producida y metabolizada a la forma activa, capaz de inducir a través de su receptor nuclear la transcripción de genes blanco responsables del mantenimiento del calcio sérico, a nivel fisiológico, y de la salud ósea. Finalmente, esta revisión propone que una alimentación balanceada junto con la adecuada exposición a la luz solar es una estrategia preventiva para disminuir el riesgo de patologías óseas y mantener el rango fisiológico normal de vitamina D en humanos, el cual es afectado por factores nutricionales, ambientales, fisiológicos y culturales.

Vitamin D plays an essential rolein calcium homeostasis and bone health, however researches duringlast years have elucidated other biological actions of its active form1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25 (OH2)D3(D2)) on target cells. This vitaminis considered as a hormone too, because it is produced and metabolized to the active form that is able to induce through its nuclear receptor,target gene transcription, which are responsibles for maintenance of serum calcium at the physiological level and the bone health. Finally,this review proposes that consuminga balanced diet along with the suitable sunlight exposure, it coul be apreventive strategy to decrease riskof bone pathologies and to maintain normal physiological level of vitaminD. In humans vit D can be affected by nutritional, environmental, physiological and cultural factors.