Food packaging rule change urged after study on traffic light labelling

Which? surveyed more than 500 shoppers and found people favour traffic light front-of-pack labels but want them larger and more consistent; the consumer group is calling on the UK Government to make front-of-pack nutrition labelling mandatory.

Which? is urging a change to food packaging rules after research into front-of-pack traffic light nutrition labels. The traffic light system, introduced in 2013, uses green, amber and red colours to indicate levels of fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt alongside calorie information. Major manufacturers and retailers use the scheme voluntarily in the UK, but it is not compulsory. Which? says implementation is inconsistent and that shoppers want the labels to be clearer and more prominent. Key findings: - The research gathered evidence from the mobile devices of over 500 shoppers to see how the traffic light system performs in practice. - One third (33%) of shoppers said the nutrition label was the first part of packaging they looked at. - Shoppers most often consulted traffic light labels for snacks (56%), dairy items (33%) and breakfast cereals (27%). - Nearly half (47%) of respondents reported finding the traffic light labelling straightforward to interpret. - Focus groups preferred the traffic light approach but asked for larger, more prominent labels and for serving sizes to be more realistic and consistent. - Which? is calling on the Government to introduce a mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme to improve consistency and reduce confusing elements. Summary: The findings suggest many shoppers use and value traffic light front-of-pack labels but encounter inconsistent presentation and size. Which? has asked the UK Government to make front-of-pack nutrition labelling mandatory to improve consistency and prominence; any formal government response or next regulatory steps are undetermined at this time.