Tesco rejects traffic light labelling

Tesco has indicated it has will not adopt the traffic light labeling scheme on its foods, but it is rolling out a 'kitchen cupboard guarantee' concept across its range of ready meals.

The retailer has announced that research with customers has shown that the traffic light system is confusing, and difficult to relate to daily consumption.

Instead, it says its nutrition signposts, which clearly show the amount of salt, fat, saturates, sugar and calories in a serving of each product, and which crucially, also show how much of the guideline daily amount this makes up, have received a "fantastic response" from customers.

Group corporate and legal affairs director Lucy Neville-Rolfe said: "The government is right to encourage everyone to provide better nutritional information. However in our trials more customers changed their behaviour using signposts with guideline daily amounts rather than with multiple traffic lights.

"We are already starting to see changes in purchasing behaviour in some areas as customers use signposts to make healthier choices."

Tesco's 'Kitchen Cupboard Guarantee' concept is all about communicating to consumers that its ready meals contain only those ingredients found in a kitchen cupboard at home.

The range is being rolled out in stores nationwide and by February 2006, customers will have a choice of over 450 new and improved dishes.

Food buying director Carolyn Bradley said: "Customers value the time saving element of ready-meals, but tell us it can be easy to worry about what is going into any dish if you are not making it yourself.

"We have come up with a simple guarantee: we wont put in any ingredient that could not be found in your kitchen at home, or on your Tesco shopping list."

Under the new guarantee Tesco will ensure artificial ingredients like emulsifiers, stabilisers and hydrogenated fats are not added to its ready-meals.