The Indonesian Ministry of Health has recently released a new policy\non the \u201cNutri Level\u201d label, which will be applied to all food and\nbeverage sales, not just factory-produced versions but also those sold\nin food and drink outlets.<\/p>\n
It is a shared hope that this policy will further increase awareness\nof consuming food and drinks that heighten the risk of lifestyle-related\ndiseases.<\/p>\n
The effectiveness of Nutri-Level needs to be evaluated over time,\nalongside the development of public nutrition literacy.<\/p>\n
Advertising narratives are far more enticing than health warnings.\nMoreover, there are justifications circulating on social media\u2014debates\nmistaken for logical arguments\u2014leading to unsubstantiated\nconclusions.<\/p>\n
From the 2023 Indonesian Health Survey (SKI), concerning data shows\nthat the habit of consuming sweet foods more than once a day is most\nprevalent among toddlers (50.1%), while sweet drinks more than once a\nday are most common among primary school-aged children aged 5-9 years\n(53%).<\/p>\n
These two population groups are highly vulnerable because they are\nstill in their growth phase and are actually unable to make their own\nfood and drink choices, being heavily dependent on family habits and\nparents\u2019 pocket money.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, the 2023 SKI also presents data on the consumption\nof risky foods (sweet, salty, fatty, high-cholesterol\/fried foods,\ngrilled items, processed meats with preservatives, flavour enhancers,\ninstant products) among the population over 3 years old\u2014where 96.2% of\nthe population cite consumption due to \u2018tasty flavour\u2019, 91.3% because\nthey are easy to obtain, 79.3% because they are cheaper, and 43.3%\nanswer \u201cdo not know the dangers and risks\u201d.<\/p>\n
Even if it cannot be linked as a cause-and-effect law, there is a\nstrong correlation in communities addicted to savoury, fatty, and\nexcessively sweet tastes, where healthy food is sidelined because \u2018it\ndoesn\u2019t taste good\u2019, \u2018it\u2019s not delicious\u2019, \u2018it doesn\u2019t whet the\nappetite\u2019.<\/p>\n
Even the current young generation feels the need to add various\nsauces and added sugars to fruit preparations that are no longer\nconsumed as is.<\/p>\n
The Nutri-Level label will end up like the text and images of\nwarnings on cigarette packaging if education and balanced eating\nbehaviour are not carried out properly and correctly.<\/p>\n
Proper implementation means without coercion and punishment, and\ncorrect application means in accordance with health principles and\nevidence-based studies from nutrition, medical, and epidemiological\ndisciplines\u2014not according to one-sided opinions with conflicts of\ninterest.<\/p>\n
In the case of cigarette consumers, the 2023 SKI records 70 million\nactive smokers in Indonesia, with the 15-19 age group being the largest\n(56.5%), followed by the 10-14 age group (18.4%).<\/p>\n
Data from the Tobacco Enforcement and Reporting Movement (TERM)\nedition May\u2013August 2023 indicates that more than two-thirds of tobacco\nproduct marketing activities are uploaded on Instagram (68%), Facebook\n(16%), and X (14%).<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nutri-level-label-nutrition-education-that-needs-close-attention-1777552247", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }