New EU Food Labeling System

126siany

http://www.cancer-prevention.org/2012/10/government-announces-food-labelling-system/

Do you think this new front of package system, with calories, fat, sugar and sodium depicted in red/green/yellow ill help people to make better food choices?

ahamm002

http://www.cancer-prevention.org/2012/10/government-announces-food-labelling-system/

Do you think this new front of package system, with calories, fat, sugar and sodium depicted in red/green/yellow ill help people to make better food choices?

Doubtful!

mulderpf

I don't like it that much. Many products in Britain has the traffic light system on the front, but it's confusing. Personally, I prefer the way things are now, because I know where to find them. With the way I space my calories, an orange for lunch might mean a green for dinner. Also, without education about it, it doesn't mean too much for people. It's a bit like warnings on cigarette packs - smokers still smoke despite the fact that it tells them it will kill them.

If there is one change they need to make, it's to make labelling more consistent. Tell me how much is IN the pack. Even on the article link, the picture tells me how much is in HALF a pizza, not the whole one. I have that problem because you constantly have to be on the look out on whether it's the whole thing, half of it, a quarter or 100g. I've almost made the mistake a few times to think that the calorie content was for the entire pack, just to realise it's for half or a quarter.

MANY chocolate bars do that too. It takes me a LONG time to read each and every label to make sure that I am picking the right thing (usually end up with Kinder Bueno because I know EXACTLY how many calories there are in them now and they are the lesser of all the evils in that aisle...).

yarwell

It'll help the easily led make the choices the labelling system is designed to have them make I guess. The sort of person that thinks the sweetness in Ribena comes from the blackcurrants.

It has no intellectual rigour though - many of my foods will be red. Salt is "not an issue in normotensive subjects". Why is there a limit for added sugars and not for sugars in dairy or fruit ingredients etc etc ad nauseam.

possibri

I don't like it that much. Many products in Britain has the traffic light system on the front, but it's confusing. Personally, I prefer the way things are now, because I know where to find them. With the way I space my calories, an orange for lunch might mean a green for dinner. Also, without education about it, it doesn't mean too much for people. It's a bit like warnings on cigarette packs - smokers still smoke despite the fact that it tells them it will kill them.

If there is one change they need to make, it's to make labelling more consistent. Tell me how much is IN the pack. Even on the article link, the picture tells me how much is in HALF a pizza, not the whole one. I have that problem because you constantly have to be on the look out on whether it's the whole thing, half of it, a quarter or 100g. I've almost made the mistake a few times to think that the calorie content was for the entire pack, just to realise it's for half or a quarter.

MANY chocolate bars do that too. It takes me a LONG time to read each and every label to make sure that I am picking the right thing (usually end up with Kinder Bueno because I know EXACTLY how many calories there are in them now and they are the lesser of all the evils in that aisle...).

Drinks, especially soft drinks, are also notorious for that... why is the damn serving size the smallest (and sometimes most difficult) thing to find?!

sunnyside1213

Yes, I think it will. Most people are "visual". I love it.

Kyrosh

I don't like it that much. Many products in Britain has the traffic light system on the front, but it's confusing. Personally, I prefer the way things are now, because I know where to find them. With the way I space my calories, an orange for lunch might mean a green for dinner. Also, without education about it, it doesn't mean too much for people. It's a bit like warnings on cigarette packs - smokers still smoke despite the fact that it tells them it will kill them.

If there is one change they need to make, it's to make labelling more consistent. Tell me how much is IN the pack. Even on the article link, the picture tells me how much is in HALF a pizza, not the whole one. I have that problem because you constantly have to be on the look out on whether it's the whole thing, half of it, a quarter or 100g. I've almost made the mistake a few times to think that the calorie content was for the entire pack, just to realise it's for half or a quarter.

MANY chocolate bars do that too. It takes me a LONG time to read each and every label to make sure that I am picking the right thing (usually end up with Kinder Bueno because I know EXACTLY how many calories there are in them now and they are the lesser of all the evils in that aisle...).

THIS!!! Sorry for shouting, but you say exactly what my thoughts are!!! :smooched:

T34418l3angel

Seems they have dumbed it down....

Honestly I don't see how this would be more helpful because, same as their percentages on the nutrition label, it is based on a certain amount of calories (usually 2,500 a day diet) and who knows how the standard macros is set up. What may be in the red category on the box may be actually ok for me to eat on my diet, and vice versa and this will just cause confusion for some.

AlabasterVerve

I don't think much of it. It's not going to matter but what it is going to do is make it easy for companies to sell a lot of dubious products formulated to be "green" that won't actually be healthful at all. The US is chock full of diet products like that.

Label laws should be designed around ensuring accurate information that can't be manipulated by serving sizes or allow companies to hide ingredients behind things like "natural flavorings".

LittleMissDover

I'm in the UK so it's already on most things here. I like it, not so much the traffic light thing, I ignore that but the fact the information is easy to find and on the front of the package and per portion rather than hidden among loads of other blurb on the back or 'per 100g' for something that's 27g!

I hate the fact that some of the American sweets have no info on them at all (was looking at Reese's the other day).