Will Food Standards Agency 'Traffic Lights' Cause Shopping Congestion?
| Published: 19th January 2007 19:00 |
When you pick up a bar of chocolate or an apple, you have a good idea that one is going to be nutritionally better for you than the other.
However, when it comes to other foods, prepared meals, frozen goods, tins and packets, you need to know exactly what you’re eating – especially if you have food allergies or intolerances or are taking on a healthy eating plan.
In a bid to help shoppers decipher the minefield that is the back of a food packet, the FSA (Food Standards Agency) launched 
a massive media campaign this week to support a brand new way of recognising healthy foods from others. This news hasn’t come as a welcome relief to some major food labels and supermarkets however as it conflicts with the guidelines that already appear on the majority of food goods.
The new scheme which is already being condemned by supermarket giant Tesco and others such as Walker’s, Kellogg’s and Nestle, will involve putting red, amber and green logos on the front of packs to identify whether products are high in fat, sugar or salt. Red would mean it was high in a particular ingredient and should be eaten less often, Amber would suggest moderate consumption and green, the more healthy option. These particular companies argue that no food is bad and having a big red warning light printed on the front of the packet could reduce sales.
The alternative scheme adopted by the critics does away with colour-coding and list the level of fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar in grams per serving, alongside a percentage figure showing what proportion of your Guideline Daily Amount this makes up.
Whichever system wins overall, it’s what works for you that counts and if it’s chocolate you crave, an apple simply won’t cut the mustard! Perhaps the old sayings ‘a little of what you fancy does you good’ or ‘everything in moderation’ would be more widely appreciated. Healthy eating is difficult enough without having to spend twice as long in the supermarket while you work out what food is amber or how much sugar is in a packet of Supernoodles!
AboutMyArea/DE74 would be interested to hear your views on this subject. Email your comments, stories, thoughts to aboutmyarea.co.uk and we’ll put them on the website.
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