BDA Press Centre
28th May 2010
BDA “EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED” REACTION TO EURO VOTE ON FRONT OF PACK FOOD LABELLING”
The European Parliament today voted on front of pack food labelling. The vote is intended to introduce a European-wide food labelling system for processed foods (ready meals, sandwiches, pies etc).
MEPs had three options of front of pack labelling:
- The ‘traffic light colours’ system with Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) and the words high, medium or low for Salt, Sugar, Fat and Saturates.
- The GDA system showing percentage of Salt, Fat etc per 100g
- Displaying calories only.
Today, MEPs voted in favour of the GDA system.
The British Dietetic Association Chairman, Helen Davidson, commented:
“The British Dietetic Association wants consumers to have access to clear, consistent, at glance information to help them to make informed choices about the food they eat. We are extremely disappointed that the ‘traffic light colours’ system was not voted in favour of as the GDA labelling alone does not allow a quick understanding of the relative healthiness of a product and is less acceptable to those consumers wanting to make a quick choice.”