Abstract

To address the problem of overweight and obesity in Chile, the focus of public policies should emphasize preventive measures to change the environment in which the individual develops and help facilitate a healthier lifestyle. The main objective of the Chilean law 20.606 is to protect the health of Chileans, especially children, by incorporating a regulatory framework that includes a frontal warning labeling on food, a ban on advertising aimed at children under 14 and a ban on the sale of foods with high levels of critical nutrients in schools. Sugar sweetened beverages represent the largest source of added dietary sugars and discretionary calories for Chileans. For this reason, nutritional information and the ingredient list for the nutritional labeling of soft drinks commercialized in Chile were reviewed, before and after enactment of Chilean law 20.606. The results indicated that the formulations of products marketed in 2017 were modified by decreasing the concentration of sugar, however non-caloric sweeteners were incorporated, which are questioned by many researchers for possible adverse effects on health.