Fundeps and the Córdoba Association of Nutritionists have presented a bill to expand and ensure the full implementation of the Food Labeling Law in Córdoba. Among other measures, it establishes the prioritization of healthy foods in kiosks, school cafeterias, and public procurement for food programs, such as PAICor. With the initial push from legislator Brenda Austin, the initiative has the support of different legislative blocs.

This Thursday, July 31, the Foundation for the Development of Sustainable Policies (Fundeps) and the Córdoba College of Nutritionists presented a provincial bill to Promote Healthy Eating. The bill expands and complements the National Front-of-Package Labeling Law to ensure its full implementation in Córdoba. With the initial support of Radical legislator Brenda Austin, the bill already has 22 signatures from representatives of seven legislative blocs, and more endorsements and contributions are expected in the coming days.

The initiative is also backed by various academic and civil society organizations at the provincial, national, and regional levels, particularly the Latin American and Caribbean Community on Nutrition and Health (COLANSA), whose support is key to building healthier environments in Córdoba and across the region.

Why a provincial healthy eating law?

Since October 2021, Argentina has had Law 27.642 on the Promotion of Healthy Eating, better known as the Front-of-Package Labeling Law, which protects the constitutional rights to health, adequate nutrition, and consumer information. It was approved by large parliamentary majorities and supported by more than 150 scientific, academic, and health organizations from across Latin America. This progressive regulation addresses food issues from a comprehensive perspective and establishes four key pillars: warning labels (the well-known seals); regulation of food and beverage advertising, promotion, and sponsorship; the promotion of healthy school environments; and public procurement of food by the State.

Law 27.642 regulates matters of public order and is therefore mandatory throughout the country. However, the healthy eating promotion policies it defines require provinces to also do their part.

Ten provinces have already taken significant steps in this direction. According to Argentina’s Normative Map, most have done so by simply adhering to the national law. However, provinces like Catamarca, Tierra del Fuego, and Neuquén have gone further, enacting provincial laws that complement, adapt, and improve the implementation of the national law within their territories. Córdoba now has the opportunity to pass an exemplary regulation and become one of the leading provinces in protecting the right to health and adequate nutrition for its population—especially for those in the most vulnerable situations, such as children and adolescents.

The need is urgent. The National Analysis on the Food Situation in Vulnerable Neighborhoods, published in May 2024, revealed that 89% of the 5,357 surveyed households in vulnerable neighborhoods in Buenos Aires City and 19 provinces suffered from food insecurity. Similarly, according to the Social Debt Observatory of the Catholic University of Argentina, in 2024, 35.5% of children and adolescents were in a situation of food insecurity, and almost half of this population experienced severe food deprivation.

In the same vein, UNICEF’s 2024 Rapid Survey found that more than half of households had reduced their food consumption due to lack of money—especially fresh and healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy products.

Córdoba is no exception. In February, a year-on-year study published by the Institute of Statistics and Social and Economic Trends of the Grocery Owners’ Center showed a significant deterioration in the nutritional quality of Córdoba households. It found an increase in the consumption of cheaper but less nutritious foods and a significant drop in the consumption of vegetables, fruits, and meats, affecting between 30% and 62% of surveyed households.

This worsens an already concerning situation, where a lack of essential nutrients coexists with malnutrition due to excess critical nutrients. As a result, non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) are rising at increasingly younger ages and in more vulnerable sectors, representing the leading cause of death at 73.4%.

What does the bill presented in Córdoba propose?

In this context, the Healthy Eating Promotion Bill, driven by Fundeps and the Córdoba Association of Nutritionists, seeks for the province to take an active role in monitoring and enforcing front-of-package labeling and restrictions on the advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of unhealthy foods. It also expands these regulations to spaces under provincial and local jurisdiction. In addition, it strengthens components related to healthy school environments and public food procurement.

Regarding advertising, the bill restricts the marketing of unhealthy products at points of sale—such as kiosks or supermarkets—and in public spaces. It also defines what constitutes advertising aimed at children and adolescents, addressing a major gap in the national legislation. In this way, the text provides stronger protection of the right to information and adequate nutrition in the face of aggressive marketing strategies that encourage the purchase of products harmful to health.

As for school environments, the bill establishes mandatory food education content in schools and provides training for teachers, kitchen staff, and the entire educational community. It also mandates that educational institutions be free of unhealthy products. This applies both to foods available for sale (kiosks and cafeterias) and to the menus offered in public and private school cafeterias.

In this regard, the bill formalizes a nutritional framework for PAICor food programs, in line with national recommendations, aiming to ensure a greater supply of healthy foods—such as fruits, vegetables, and meats—across all its management systems. It also promotes sourcing part of the fresh foods from family, peasant, and Indigenous agriculture.

On public procurement, the bill incorporates the national law’s criteria and prioritizes the purchase of healthy foods in all types of contracts and food programs, setting a minimum percentage of fresh foods. This priority becomes absolute when the recipients are children and adolescents. This is particularly relevant today, as many food programs previously managed by the national government are now being shifted to provincial and even municipal administrations.

Another strong point of the proposed regulation is the creation of a Healthy Eating Observatory with the participation of civil society to ensure monitoring, transparency, and public access to information on the law’s compliance and the population’s nutritional health status.

Finally, the bill acknowledges the role of local governments and municipalities in its implementation, encouraging them to adopt the necessary measures to ensure compliance with the proposed standards.

An opportunity for all of Córdoba society

This bill represents a concrete opportunity for Córdoba to take national leadership in the comprehensive protection of the rights to health, adequate nutrition, and consumer information—especially for children and adolescents throughout the province. In the face of a worsening food crisis, it is urgent to act decisively to guarantee public policies that prioritize health and the right to information over commercial interests.

Fundeps and the Córdoba Association of Nutritionists invite legislators, provincial and municipal executive authorities, social organizations, educational communities, and citizens in general to support this bill so that healthy eating is not a privilege but a reality on every table and in every school in Córdoba.

Today, more than ever, advancing a provincial healthy eating law is an urgent necessity.

Author:
Nayla Palacios

Contact:
Maga Ailén Merlo Vijarra – magamerlov@fundeps.org