(SeafoodSource) A new system of front-of-pack food labeling is to be rolled out in the U.K. during the next 18 months. It will combine color-coding and nutritional information to show how much fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar, and how many calories, are in each product.
In effect the system contains elements of the ‘traffic light’ system preferred by consumers where red equals ‘high’ amber equals ‘medium’ and green equals ‘low’, and the guideline daily amount (GDA) system favored by some retailers and food manufacturers.
However, like existing labeling, the new system will be voluntary, and it is estimated that only just over 60 percent of food products sold in the U.K. will be covered by it. While most major supermarket groups have come on board and will adopt the system for their own label products, major food manufacturers such as Cadbury and Coca-Cola are sticking with GDAs.
SeafoodSource reported last Thursday that Young’s Seafood is backing the new labeling system.
“The consistency initiative is designed to make it easier for people to understand the nutritional labeling on their food,” a Young’s spokesman said. And CEO Leendert den Hollander was fulsome in his praise.
“This new nutritional label design gives people consistent information to help make healthier choices in their diet,” den Hollander said.
“This isn’t about telling people what should or shouldn’t be in their [shopping] baskets,” said Julia Waltham, from the British Heart Foundation. “The government should strongly recommend that food companies and supermarkets use a consistent food labeling scheme that includes traffic light colors.