SANTIAGO, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chile's food labelling law, seen as a pioneer for restricting products high in calories, saturated fats, sodium and sugar, has driven 68 percent of the Chilean population to improve their diet, it was announced on Thursday.
According to a study by the organization Chile Come Sano (Chile Eats Healthy), people in the country had to change their diet after the law was passed in 2016, the daily El Mercurio reported.
"We have seen that, in the last five years, nutrition became a very relevant topic for society, and the concept of feeding yourself with nutrients that are good for the body, instead of only eating to satiate hunger, has gained a lot of strength," said Catalina Correia, marketing director for GfK Adimark, a consulting firm which helped carry out the study.
Since taking into effect, the law has forced companies to place a "High In" label on their items to warn about excessive calories, sodium, saturated fats and sugar. It also limits the advertising of items high in sugar, such as sweets and soft drinks.
The law was called as a global pioneer by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The study polled over 1,000 parents with children under 18 years old across the country.
Chile Come Sano said that while these changes were seen across society, they primarily affected men, living in cities and from higher economic levels.
According to data from the Chilean Ministry of Health, a person dies every hour in the country from obesity-related problems.
