Reacting to the Food Standards Agency (FSA’s) Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling briefing paper, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said retailers in the UK were the first to adopt easy-to-understand front-of-pack nutritional labelling to help customers make more informed choices.
The FSA has recommended a new label combining the existing systems of using the words ‘high’, ‘medium’ and ‘low’, with traffic light colours and Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) – which use recommended percentage amounts.
Food labelling regulations are currently being reviewed by the European Union. Changing labels in the UK now before the outcome of that review makes no sense.
Andrew Opie, BRC food director, said: “UK retailers are leading the way on food labelling and have done so for many years. Retailers have developed nutrition information that they know works best for their customers.
“It would be too soon for the UK to adopt any new regime of its own until a final decision about front-of-pack labelling is taken at European level. Changing and then changing again would just produce extra costs and customer confusion.
“Labelling is only one aspect of tackling obesity and other important factors, such as public education, exercise and personal responsibility, must also be given significant attention.”
As the Food Standards Agency (FSA) announces proposals for a more flexible approach to front-of-pack nutrition labelling, Which? chief executive, Peter Vicary-Smith, says: “The FSA’s own research shows that a combined, single nutrition labelling scheme will work best for consumers, so why this sudden change of tack?
“We want the FSA board to stick to its guns, continue to use an evidence-based approach and push for a single labelling scheme that will help people to make informed decisions about the foods they eat.”
