The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has reacted to consumer advocacy group CHOICE’s criticisms of “low-fat” claims on foods. AFGC Chief Executive Kate Carnell said, “If misleading claims are being made, industry would urge the regulators to enforce consumer protection laws. It is also important to remember there are people who need low-fat but not low-kilojoule diets, for example people with high cholesterol.” Responding to CHOICE’s argument that nutrient profiling is in place... ...Read more »

Australian consumer advocacy group CHOICE, today warned that many ready-to-eat desserts with low-fat claims such as ‘fat free’, ‘reduced fat’ and ’97 per cent fat free’ are not always as healthy as their labels suggest. CHOICE reviewed 31 low-fat desserts found in the fridge and freezer section of Australian supermarkets. According to CHOICE, the review has proven that many so-called ‘low-fat’ products contain high sugar and sodium levels. CHOICE spokesperson, Ingrid Just said, “Low-fat... ...Read more »

Despite recently presenting a united voice for advocacy of a supermarket ombudsman in Australia, the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) and Australian consumer advocacy group CHOICE have disagreed publicly on food labelling. The AFGC has accused CHOICE of publishing recipes on its website that fall short of health standards espoused by the Traffic Light Labelling system, which CHOICE has championed. According to the AFGC, a number of recipes on CHOICE’s website are ‘unhealthy’ when... ...Read more »

Australia’s main consumer advocacy group CHOICE has launched a nation-wide campaign against food product labels which carry misleading nutrition claims. It has called on Australian consumers to identify products with claims about ‘reduced fat,’ ‘low carb’ and ‘high in fibre’. CHOICE is calling for consumers to become actively involved in ‘Shame the Claim’ searches. This is the latest move in CHOICE’s on-going campaign against nutrition claims on food product labels in Australia... ...Read more »

Australia’s leading consumer advocacy group CHOICE has renewed calls for a national standard on free range products through Standards Australia and involving industry, government and consumers. CHOICE challenges the Australian Egg Corporation Limited’s (AECL) proposed draft standard which would permit densities of 20,000 chickens per hectare to be certified as free range. CHOICE describes the proposal as “fanciful” and “self-serving”. CHOICE spokesperson Ingrid Just said, “There are... ...Read more »

Consumer advocacy group CHOICE claims unpackaged meat products sold in Australia should be subject to the same country of origin labelling requirements as other food products. Currently, the only unpackaged meat products that require country of origin labelling under the Australian Food Standards Code are pork and seafood. CHOICE wants mandatory labelling extended to unpackaged beef, sheep and chicken meat in accordance with a proposal by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). FSANZ’s Proposal... ...Read more »

A new smartphone application with the controversial traffic light system has been launched by the Obesity Policy Coalition, which aims to reduce obesity levels in Australia. The Obesity Policy Coalition’s new smartphone app gives a Traffic Light rating based on the amount of total fat, saturated fat, sugars and sodium per 100 grams – green for ‘low’, amber for ‘medium’ and red for ‘high’. Because it is merely a smartphone app, its usage remains voluntary. To use the app, consumers... ...Read more »

A small but growing Western Australian food manufacturer, Sticky Fingers Gourmet Foods, claims that if traffic light labelling were introduced, it could spell the death knell for many small Australian food manufacturers. Lyn Bentley, Managing Director of Sticky Fingers Gourmet Foods contacted Australian Food News about its recent report of the dispute between CHOICE and the ACCC over front-of-pack label systems. Ms Bentley said, “As a small manufacturer supplying to both the food service and retail... ...Read more »

The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) and consumer advocacy group CHOICE continue to disagree over the choice of different front-of-pack methods for food product labels to display nutritional information about the food. A Newspoll online survey published this week, commissioned by the AFGC, has found 78 per cent of Australian consumers are familiar with the AFGC-promoted scheme of Daily Intake Guide food labels. Daily Intake Guide labels use thumbnail symbols that outline the amount of energy,... ...Read more »

Australia’s premier consumer advocacy group CHOICE has reignited the food debate over whether Australia should adopt a traffic light system for front-of-package labelling of packaged foods. CHOICE has called for mandatory front-of-pack Traffic Light labelling on muesli in Australia. Traffic Light labelling is a system that features red, green, or amber symbols on the label for each of the main nutrients in the product (such as fat, sugars, and salt). The idea behind Traffic Lights is to make it... ...Read more »