Despite the fact that since last year the law was passed that seeks to label junk food and the harm they cause to people's health, the representative of the Chamber Mauricio Toro, one of the congressmen who pushed for the approval of the regulations, assured that in the national government they are disrespecting the fact that the carry out such regulation and will have to take appropriate legal action.
The announcement was made through La W Radio, where he recalled that President Iván Duque and the Minister of Health, Fernando Ruiz, intend that a resolution that was established prior to the legislative discussion of the regulations should regulate this labeling.
“I have warned the minister, the deputy minister and the president that if they refuse to properly regulate the law they will be denounced. The president in the Commission on Accusations and the minister for prevaricating and not complying with what is ordered by Congress,” said the representative on that radio station.
Toro noted that resolution 810, at the time, was intended to point out that there was already a regulation on labelling warnings, all because of the pressure exerted by companies that market these foods.
“It should be remembered that industry, the ministries of trade and health opposed the passage of this law to such an extent that 24 hours before its last debate the Ministry of Health issued a resolution, which is number 810, in order that the bill will not go to the last debate, thus confusing congressmen and arguing that this resolution contemplated all the mechanisms for adopting efficient labeling. It turns out that this was completely false,” he explained on the station.
The congressman pointed out that if the situation persisted, the Executive itself would enter into a legal conflict with their obligations after the issuance of the law.
“The first thing to say is that the President of the Republic, the Minister of Health and his deputy ministers would be in default. Well, they were given a year to implement the correct labeling today they could achieve with the times, which although adjusted, would allow them to move forward,” he added in La W.
Toro recalled that due to the legal hierarchy President Duque and the Minister of Health, Fernando Ruiz, would have to respond judicially.
“What I do want to say is that if the minister, the deputy minister and the president insist that resolution 810 is the one that decrees the regulations, then I have to criminally denounce them for prevarication because they would be in violation of a law, the law is superior to any regulation, to any resolution or circular and they insist on give it a higher rank”, concluded Mauricio Toro.
It should be remembered that in February this controversy began with the resolution with which the National Government insists that it is complying with as an implementation of the junk food law.
One of the differences between what the law dictates and this resolution focuses on the labeling of food packages. The national government promotes circular labeling, and draws on the experience of countries such as Israel to implement them in the country.
Carolina Piñeros, executive director of Red PaPaZ, told Infobae Colombia that, “there are studies that show that circular stamps are not understandable to people to read and understand. In Colombia we did an experiment using the hexagonal seal and the results showed that this labeling is easier to understand.”
“What the ministry said today is that more studies are needed. But I remind you that in 2019 the vice presidency made some pacts with the ultra-processed products industry, in which it promised not to allow labeling. Our reading of the words of the deputy minister is that these pacts are being fulfilled. ”, said Piñeros in his talk with Infobae Colombia.
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