Citizens' forums on food: front-of-pack nutrition labelling
Thursday 28 January 2010
Following the independent evaluation of front-of-pack (FOP) labelling in the UK marketplace, the Agency used the nationwide citizens' forum to explore attitudes towards FOP nutrition labels in the context of helping consumers to make healthier choices, and how the current arrangements could be improved.
The 'citizens' forums' are part of a nationwide series of discussion groups set up to establish a dialogue with the public on food.
Key findings
Those taking part emphasised the importance of convenience and speed while food shopping, and the role a standardised FOP nutrition label would have in encouraging more consumers to take an interest in healthy eating.
Awareness of FOP labelling was high, with some variation in knowledge of the different schemes in use in the market. Certain aspects of current FOP nutrition labels were seen as confusing or inconvenient which reduced their effectiveness. The co-existence of a variety of different FOP nutrition labelling schemes was felt to make it difficult for consumers to make product comparisons and caused some respondents to question the trustworthiness of the information provided.
Participants felt that the Government should introduce a standardised approach to FOP labelling and provision of information relating to portion sizes, and that a label should include traffic light colours, percentage of GDA and nutrient amounts in grams, as well as high, medium and low text.
Related links
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