International treaties such as the Agreement on Technical
Barriers to Trade (TBT) recognize labeling as a common tool used by
governments to protect human health.1 Considering that
Mexico faces important rates of mortality related to diseases such
as obesity2, diabetes and cardiovascular problems,
as part of new public policies, the Mexican authorities propose to
implement new frontal labeling requirements for processed
foods3, aimed to achieve the declared
objective of: "informing the consumer clearly and
truthfully about the content of critical nutrients that pose risks
to their health in excessive consumption."4
The new proposed regulation was published on Oct. 11, 2019, in
Mexico's Official Gazette, and modifies the existing
Official Mexican Standard (NOM)5 identified as: "NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1
on general specifications of labelling for food and non-alcoholic
beverages pre-packaged – commercial and sanitary
information."6
