By Leia Clifton, Policy Officer, Obesity Health Alliance
Making everyday decisions around food and drink purchases provides an ongoing challenge for us all. With the vast array of different products on shelves identifying the healthier options is becoming increasingly hard. In order to be able to make an informed decision for themselves and their families, food shoppers need to understand two things. Firstly, what is in the food product they are buying and secondly, what this means for health. This is where clear and fair labelling plays a vital role.
The government is currently consulting on updating front-of-pack labelling as one method of improving the nation’s health as part of the wider package of actions introduced in the July 2020 Tackling Obesity[1] strategy.
What is front-of-pack labelling?
Front of pack nutrition labels (FOPNL) have been introduced by governments globally, asking food manufacturers to provide the consumer with clear nutritional information at first glance, aiding them in making more informed choices around food. Since 2013, the UK has used the ‘Traffic Light’ system which uses red, amber and green to signify low, medium and high amounts of energy (kj/kcal), fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt[2] in a food product. Research into consumer behaviour shows that a front of pack label helps food shoppers better comprehend what is in their food and drink, contributing to more informed choices around health[3].
Figure 1: Front‐of‐package (FOP) labels associated Multiple Traffic Light Labelling[4].
Front-of-pack labelling in the UK and across the EU is voluntary[5] it is estimated that only 75% of food products in the UK adopt the Traffic Light Scheme with other products displaying other variations of this or no front of pack labelling at all[6].
If there is already have a system in place, what is the government consulting on?
As the UK is leaving the EU there is now an opportunity to improve the current system. The current consultation is framed as a ‘call to evidence’[7] asking members of the public, health stakeholders and industry to submit views on the current scheme but also other front-of-pack labelling schemes. Other schemes being consulted on include the ‘Nutriscore’[8] label that has been adopted across Europe. The system awards points to fruit and vegetable content, fibre and protein and deducts for sugar, saturated fat and sodium[9]. The overall score dictates the colour rating and letter on the front of the package, as seen below.
Figure 2: Front‐of‐package (FOP) labels associated with Nutri-score[10].
The other international system being consulted on is the ‘Chilean health warning label’[11] that has gained prominence over recent years due to its simplicity. The system analyses overall nutrient composition for different types of products, calculates and labels a food product as ‘high in sugar’, ‘high in saturated fat’, ‘high in sodium’ or ‘high in calories’[12].
Figure 3: Front‐of‐package (FOP) warning labels associated with the Chilean Law of Food Labelling and Advertising[13].
In addition to gathering views on different labelling systems, the consultation is asking for views on whether the updated front-of-pack labelling scheme should include additional information following the latest dietary advice around sugar and fibre[14].
Health and nutrition professionals have different views on the pros and cons of the different schemes, but there is one point they all generally agree with. Whatever system the government chooses to adopt, it should be mandatory. This would create a level playing field where we all have the same information about our food, regardless of where we buy it or which brand we choose. This would also enable us to easily compare nutritional information about products that look similar but may have markedly different sugar or fat contents. It’s not a question in the current consultation, but it’s certainly what OHA and our members will be telling government because information labels only inform when they are on the product.
The front-of-pack nutrition labelling consultation closes on at 11:59 on 21st October 2021. To submit your views to the consultation please follow this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/front-of-pack-nutrition-labelling-in-the-uk-building-on-success
[1] 2020. Department of Health and Social Care. Tackling Obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives. Accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-obesity-government-strategy
[2] 2020. NHS Digital. Food Labels. Accessible at: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/how-to-read-food-labels/
[3] ComRes interviewed 2,036 adults in Great Britain online between 22 and 24 January 2016. Data was weighted to be representative of all adults in Great Britain.
[4] 2016. Department of Health. Guide to creating a front of pack (FoP) nutrition label for pre-packaged products sold through retail outlets. Accessible at: https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/document/fop-guidance_0.pdf
[5] 2016. Department of Health. Guide to creating a front of pack (FoP) nutrition label for pre-packaged products sold through retail outlets. Accessible at: https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/document/fop-guidance_0.pdf
[6] 2015. The House of Commons Health Committee. Childhood obesity – brave and bold action. First report of session 2015-16. HC 465
[7] 2020. Front-of-pack nutrition labelling in the UK: building on success. Accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/front-of-pack-nutrition-labelling-in-the-uk-building-on-success
[8] 2020. Nutriscore: A simple labelling system for nutritional value. Accessible at: https://nutriscore.colruytgroup.com/colruytgroup/en/about-nutri-score/
[9] 2020. Nutriscore: A simple labelling system for nutritional value. Accessible at: https://nutriscore.colruytgroup.com/colruytgroup/en/about-nutri-score/
[10] 2020. Nutriscore: A simple labelling system for nutritional value. Accessible at: https://nutriscore.colruytgroup.com/colruytgroup/en/about-nutri-score/
[11] 2019. Development of the Chilean Health Warning Label. Accessible at: https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12889-019-7118-1
[12] 2019. Development of the Chilean Health Warning Label. Accessible at: https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12889-019-7118-1
[13] 2019. Development of the Chilean Health Warning Label. Accessible at: https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12889-019-7118-1
[14] 2020. Front-of-pack nutrition labelling in the UK: building on success. Accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/front-of-pack-nutrition-labelling-in-the-uk-building-on-success