Changes in sales of packaged food and beverages, energy, and nutrients after the implementation of front-of-pack warning labels in Mexico.

Abstract

In late March 2020, Mexico announced front-of-pack warning labels (FOP-WLs) on packaged foods and beverages to address diet-related non-communicable diseases. This policy, implemented in October 2020, aims to inform consumers about the excessive content of calories and health-harming nutrients (added sugars, sodium, and saturated fats) while encouraging producers to reformulate their products to reduce the number of FOP-WLs on these products. Using monthly sales in 2017-2022 linked to time-varying nutritional product data to account for product reformulation, we applied time-series models within an interrupted time-series design to assess FOP-WLs-associated changes in per-capita sales volume of packaged foods and beverages and their equivalent in calories and health-harming nutrients. We conducted equivalent analyses at the food and beverage subcategory level in packaged foods and beverages. Following the policy announcement (April 2020 onwards), we found reductions in sales of calories (-15%; 95% CI = -0.18, -0.12), added sugars (-25%; 95% CI = -0.27, -0.23), saturated fat (-12%; 95% CI = -0.16, -0.08), and sodium (-7%; 95% CI = -0.13, -0.02), while per capita overall sales volume remained unchanged. These reductions were more pronounced after October 2020 and persisted even under conservative scenarios from which we aimed to eliminate any COVID-19-related sales adjustments. Reductions were heterogeneous by food and beverage subcategories. Although overall sales volume remained stable, reductions in calories, added sugars, saturated fats, and sodium were observed after the policy implementation. This pattern is likely evidence of product reformulation in response to the policy, suggesting that FOP-WLs contributed to reducing the sales of calories and health-harmful nutrients in packaged foods and beverages in Mexico.