February 3, 2017 - Israel's Ministry of Health recently announced new rules on the marketing of unhealthy foods.
"The Ministry of Health is taking dramatic steps to change the eating habits of Israelis," said David Wolberg, Partner of Kuperschmit & Goldstein in Tel Aviv, Israel. "After years of debating the issue, the Ministry has decided to push food manufacturers to market healthier foods by forcing them to include negative labeling on their products."
According to the new rules:
- Red warning markers must be placed on the packaging of foods that are high in sugar, salt, or fat;
- Product packaging must be marked with spoons that show the amount of sugar contained in the product; and
- Unhealthy foods may not be marketed to children.
The rules will take effect over three years, starting in January 2018, with the requirements for red warning markers becoming more stringent each year.
"With strict new rules going into effect in Israel in about a year, now is the time for food manufacturers to consider whether to reformulate their products and what changes may be necessary to their packaging," said Jeffrey A. Greenbaum, GALA's Chairman and Managing Partner of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz in New York.
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