MEPs yesterday voted in favour of new laws on how food is labelled throughout the EU, a move they claimed will benefit both consumers and the food industry.The new regulations will see some changes to the way information on nutrition, country-of-origin and ingredients are displayed on food labels. The vote comes three weeks after the European Parliament and the European Council of Ministers agreed on a final draft of the new labelling laws. German MEP Renate Sommer led the Parliament’s discussions... ...Read more »

The issue of nutrition labelling reared its head last week after the EU’s politicians voted for the food on sale in the region to carry guideline daily amounts and not traffic lights. It’s a debate that has rumbled on for years and that generates fierce argument on both sides. There are those, predominantly consumer groups but also companies like UK retailer Sainsbury’s, who believe traffic lights make it easier for shoppers to choose healthier food. However, there are those –... ...Read more »

First came the attack on bread for containing too much salt, now according to British Heart Foundation, some of the nation’s curries have five times above the recommended daily amount of salt. The UK study, conducted by specialists at Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) investigated the salt content in curries at 787 takeaways, ready meals, cooking sauces, chutneys, pickles and side dishes. The biggest survey of its kind found a traditional curry with all the usual accompaniments contained... ...Read more »

European politicians have voted against imposing traffic-light nutrition labels on foodstuffs sold across the EU. Members of the European Parliament, sitting on the European Parliament’s Environment Committee, decided against making the use of traffic lights mandatory but said EU member states may adopt national rules. Two weeks ago, the UK’s Food Standards Agency recommended the use of “flexible” front-of-pack labelling scheme that would include text, traffic lights and Guideline... ...Read more »

The UK’s Food Standard Agency this morning (10 March) agreed to the implementation of a single approach to front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labelling.At an open meeting held in Cardiff today, the FSA’s board said food businesses will now be encouraged to use all three elements – traffic light colours (red, amber and green), text (high, medium or low) and percentage Guideline Daily Amounts (% GDAs) – on the front of packaging. Businesses are also being encouraged to ensure that... ...Read more »

A pan-European study by the European Food Information Council (EUFIC) has provided further insights into the shopper relationship with food labels. The study, which questioned 17,300 people from various European countries, both in supermarkets and at home, found that only 18% of Europeans regularly look for nutrition information on food packaging in-store. Independent market research agencies carried out the field work in each country. Results showed, however, that the better established forms... ...Read more »