A leading consumer watchdog has urged the Government to make nutrition labels on the front of food packaging compulsory across the UK. Which? has issued the call amidst what it describes as an ‘obesity crisis’ gripping the nation.
The organisation argues that a ‘better approach’ is essential to enable people to make healthier dietary decisions. The demand follows research conducted by the group, which revealed that shoppers favour traffic light labelling, although they suggested improvements through more prominent positioning and larger sizing.
Introduced in 2013, traffic light labelling employs green (low), amber (medium), and red (high) colours to indicate levels of fat, saturated fat, sugar, and salt, alongside calorie information. Whilst major manufacturers and retailers voluntarily adopt the system, it remains non-compulsory in the UK.
According to Which?, however, the implementation of the scheme lacks consistency. It claimed that some shops do not include traffic light labelling, or provide it without colour coding.
Which? gathered evidence through the mobile devices of over 500 shoppers to assess how effectively the traffic light system serves consumers.
One third (33%) revealed that the nutrition label was the initial element they examined on packaging. Shoppers most frequently consulted the traffic light system when selecting snacks (56%), dairy items (33%) and breakfast cereals (27%). Nearly half (47%) also reported finding this labelling straightforward to interpret.
During focus groups, the traffic light system emerged as the favoured food labelling approach, though participants suggested improvements, including making it larger and more prominent.
Which? said that people also called for making the scheme easier to understand, such as making the recommended serving size on some products more realistic and consistent. The consumer champion is now calling on the Government to introduce a mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme.
It suggested this could enhance the existing traffic light system to better serve shoppers by improving consistency, increasing prominence and eliminating potentially confusing elements.
Sue Davies, head of food policy at Which?, said: “The UK is in the midst of an obesity crisis and it’s clear that a better approach to front-of-pack labelling is needed to help shoppers make healthier choices.
“Which? is calling on the Government to ensure that all manufacturers and retailers use front of pack nutrition labelling, ideally by making this mandatory. Our research shows that people still prefer traffic light nutrition labelling, but that the current scheme needs updating so that it is clearer and simpler and works better for consumers.
“The new system should be backed up with effective enforcement and oversight by the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland, so shoppers have full trust in the labels on their food.” In 2022, some 64% of adults in England were estimated to be overweight or living with obesity.
In November, it also emerged that one in 10 children in the first year of primary school in England is obese, the highest figure on record outside the pandemic. Estimates suggest that obesity costs the NHS more than £11 billion every year.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “This Government is bringing in a modernised food nutrient scoring system to reduce obesity. It’s just one element of the strong action we are taking to tackle the obesity crisis as part of our 10 Year Health Plan, which will shift the focus from sickness to prevention.
“We are also restricting advertising of junk food on TV and online, limiting volume price promotions on less healthy foods and introducing mandatory reporting on sales of healthy food.”
Andrea Martinez-Inchausti, assistant director of food at the British Retail Consortium, said: “Retailers have led the way in nutrition labelling, consistently providing advice on healthy living.
“Whether that be through the traffic light system, or other measures, the industry is fully committed to helping improve the health of their customers and are constantly looking for what will work best for them.”
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
