Giving clear food labelling the green light

Friday 4 November, 2011

How often does something sneak into your trolley because it is ‘99% fat-free' or ‘full of fibre'? How many times have you checked the nutrition information panel (NIP) to validate these claims? Would you even know where to start?

According to research from consumer watchdog Choice most shoppers spend just over two seconds choosing each item in a supermarket. Even if you have a degree in nutrition and the magnifying glass often required to read the NIP, it's probably not long enough to get a clear understanding of a product's nutritional content. That's why we often rely on front of pack messages and are enticed by clever marketing claims into buying products that are not as healthy as we might think.

Obesity is a major risk factor for many types of cancer and other chronic diseases. With rates of obesity continuing to soar in Australia, one of the policies public health experts and consumer groups are calling for is a more responsible approach to food labelling.

More specifically, Cancer Council Victoria, as a founding member of the Obesity Policy Coalition (OPC), is calling for mandatory traffic light labelling on all packaged food in Australia.

Traffic light labelling is a simple way to highlight levels of fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt on the front of packaged food: red for high, amber for medium and green for low. The aim is to give consumers key nutrition information at a glance so they can make a better informed choice about the products they buy.

The idea is deeply unpopular with the food industry that turns a healthy profit from marketing unhealthy food, sometimes with misleading nutrition claims. When coupled with red lights for sugar, claims like ‘low in fat' would look a bit disingenuous to say the least.

Traffic light labelling has the high level support of former health minister, Dr Neal Blewett who recently led a panel of experts in an independent review of food labelling in Australia. Both state and Federal Governments are due to respond to recommendations of the panel's report by the end of the year.

If you believe consumers have the right to clear and honest food labelling, you can help Cancer Council and the Obesity Policy Coalition advocate for traffic lights by emailing your state health minister through the Obesity Policy Coalition website: www.opc.org.au.

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