Summary:The Traffic Light Labeling is the latest drive by the UK's Food Safety Agency to introduce a labeling code that is easily understood by consumers and the general public. The main objective of this code is to allow consumers to visually compare food products of a similar nature and to choose the healthier food products, thus encouraging healthier lifestyles changes. Choosing a food product with more greens than reds, means that the food will contain less sugar, fat or salt, and will therefore be healthier for susceptible individuals who are on special diets or who are weight or health conscious.
The Problem:Trade liberalization and globalization have served to increase the distribution of food products across national and international boundaries. Laws and regulations governing the labeling of food products differ among countries worldwide. Food products manufactured in countries such as England, USA, and Canada may not be accepted readily in other countries such as the West Indies and the Caribbean and vice versa. Even when food products meet local label requirements it is difficult for consumers and the general public to fully understand and appreciate nutritional information on labels. This makes the general comparison of food products difficult and the healthy selection of food products a very daunting task for the busy consumer.
The Solution:The UK's Food Safety Agency has recently concurred with the concept of "Traffic Light Labeling". This type of labeling serves to eliminate the hassle associated with reading labels and makes the comparison of foods easier for consumers by using visual cues. The colors of the traffic lights are used as visual cues to indicate; high = red, medium = yellow or amber and low = green, levels of fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt.
The presence of these easily discernable colors on food labels may allow consumers to easily identify high, medium or low levels of nutrients. Since fat, sugar and salt are often associated with many chronic food related diseases. Consumers are readily alerted to dangerous levels of harmful nutrients. A red colour on a label may indicate a high level of fat, sugar or salt and may serve to alert vulnerable consumers. Consumers can therefore compare similar products and make informed healthy choices. Healthy choices may involve selecting more greens and amber/yellow and fewer reds. It may not be necessarily harmful if reds are eaten or consumed occasionally. Health conscious consumers should choose foods low in fats, sugars and salt.
Several food manufacturers have already started to use traffic light labeling, and some of these food manufacturers include: Avondale, Bombay Halwa, Brittania, Budgens, the Co-op, M&S, Moy Park, the New Covent Garden Food Co, Sainsbury's, S&B Herba, Waitrose and Asda.
Based on consumer acceptability surveys there is an urgent need for certain food labels to adopt the traffic light labeling code. These foods include: sausages, pies, breakfast cereals, sandwiches, pizzas, burgers, chicken and fish fingers, etc. Adoption of traffic light labeling on these foods will serve to provide consumers with needed information on critical nutrients, thus allowing and facilitating healthier food choices and hopefully better health and well being.
Conclusion:Traffic light labeling represents a consumer friendly type labeling which can be used by consumers to easily identify, compare and choose healthy foods. Busy consumers and the general public who are weight conscious can select easily identifiable healthy foods at a glance without compromising their health and well being. Selecting and consuming healthy foods, that is, foods low in sugar, fat and salt can serve to ward off many of today's food related diseases thereby protecting the public's health.
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