FSA report gives green light to fresh row over food labelling

The Food Standards Agency yesterday (7 May) recommended a common FOP labelling system after a study found the existence of several schemes caused difficulties for shoppers.

The research said that, while general understanding was high, the strongest labels were those that combined traffic-light colours, text and guideline daily amount (GDA) information.

While Asda, Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury’s already use the traffic-light system, other supermarkets and brands, including Tesco and Kellogg’s, favour alternative ways to communicate the information to customers.

Kellogg’s believes the traffic-light system is “flawed” because it is based on a 100g serving, rather than a portion of the product. “Low fat cheese has the same traffic-light label as high fat cheese. Reduced sugar Frosties have the same traffic-light label as standard Frosties,” the firm said in a statement.

“Kellogg’s uses GDA’s because we believe traffic-light labels don’t enable consumers to make better and healthier choices, especially within the same categories,” it said.

Tesco currently uses GDA information. Sugar is coloured pink and fat green, regardless of the amount.

Asda corporate affairs director Paul Kelly urged retailers to “listen to customers and commit to a duel-labelling scheme”. “The customer’s opinion is what matters most and now they have spoken and confirmed our belief that the dual-labelling system is the simplest and clearest.”

Sainsbury’s uses traffic lights on 5,000 products but maintained it was “not a question of ‘either/or’”. It continues to display colour-coded GDA information on the back of packs.

 ”Our research shows that customers find multiple-traffic-light labelling the easiest ‘at a glance’ indicator to use,” said a spokeswoman.

The Food and Drink Federation welcomed the report but said labelling was “only part of the answer” to tackling issues such as obesity. “Members continue to work on recipe changes, developments of ‘better for you’ products and workplace wellbeing schemes,” said director of communications Julian Hunt.

The British Retail Consortium said there was no urgency to introduce a single label format, as the European Union still had to review the issue.

Director general Stephen Robertson said until a final decision was taken it would be “premature for the UK to adopt any new regime of its own”. “Changing and then changing again would just produce extra costs and customer confusion,” he said.

The full report can be read by clicking here.

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