|
 |
7 March 2006
Show 'Traffic Lights' the Red Light
Leading nutritionist questions wisdom of stop/go food labelling
A leading Professor from Kings College, London has today criticised the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) proposed 'Multiple Traffic Light' system as "too simplistic, twenty years out of date, dreamt up by administrators rather than nutritionists or dietitians, discredited by food retailers and likely to confuse consumers."
Pre-empting the FSA's announcement of a recommended voluntary labelling system, due this week, which will propose labelling foods according to their fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt contents, Tom Sanders, Head of Nutritional Sciences at King's College London commented that: "Telling people what is not in food won't help them select a balanced diet. The proposed Multiple Traffic Light system does not take into account the portion size. If applied to all foods it would unfairly demonise perfectly healthy foods which, consumed in moderation, make up a balanced diet associated with a lower risk of heart disease (such as nuts, oily fish, half-fat cheese, olive oil, low fat spreads, ham and breakfast cereals). Given current concerns about obesity, it is also regrettable that the proposed labelling does not indicate the energy content of foods (calories). Most nutritionists prefer Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) as a method for labelling the nutritional value of food."
The comments were made at a briefing hosted by the Breakfast Cereal Information Service (BCIS), which was attended by members of the Association of Cereal Food Manufacturers (ACFM). ACFM members reaffirmed their commitment to align their approach to nutrition labelling by implementing the use of Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) on all of their products.
A spokesperson from the Breakfast Cereal Information Service (BCIS) commented:
"The FSA's own research into front of pack labelling highlighted that one option, incorporating GDAs, was the most popular among consumers and the most effective when making comparisons between food products. Several cereal manufacturers have already adopted the use of GDAs on pack."
Showing his support for this scheme, Prof. Tom Sanders concluded that GDAs enable consumers to make informed choices on balancing their diet by identifying the official recommended guideline levels for key nutrients and calories consumed each day and how much a portion of a particular food contributes to that allowance. This, he commented, was in line with the Government's objective to provide better information to help consumers make healthier and more informed food choices.
For further information on the health benefits of breakfast cereals and ACFM activities, visit www.breakfastcereal.org.
-
Ends -
For further information contact the BCIS Team on:
Tel: 020 7815 3900
Email: info@breakfastcereal.org
 |
 |
Dr Peter Ashby, ACFM, talking through the various
ingredients of breakfast cereals during an interactive taste session
at the BCIS Breakfast Briefing on nutrition labelling. 7th March
2006. Click to enlarge.
|
|
