Australian shoppers will be able formulate a balanced diet and make healthier food choices following the launch of a new Daily Intake Guide (DIG) consumer education campaign by the Australian Food and Grocery Council today.The new Healthy Eating, Made Easy campaign for DIG front-of-pack food labelling – an easy-to-follow tool to give people information to formulate a daily eating plan according to their individual needs and activity levels – coincides with Health Weight Week (January 23 – 30).

As part of the next phase in AFGC’s ongoing awareness-raising of DIG over the past four years, the new DIG campaign features a Community Service Announcement (CSA) television advert and an updated website www.mydailyintake.net, which includes a range of useful consumer information.

DIG front-of-pack labels outline the amount of energy, fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt in a standard portion of the food and how that translates to average daily intake. Industry research shows DIG front-of-pack labelling currently appears on more than 4000 food and beverage products.

AFGC Chief Executive Kate Carnell said DIG was ideal way for people and families to formulate a daily eating plan according to their individual needs and activity levels.

“DIG is a highly effective tool for families or individuals as it provides easy-to-understand, scientific information to help people make informed and personalised choices to enjoy a healthy and balanced diet,” Ms Carnell said.

DIG also shows you how to distribute your energy intake over a day. It’s based on 3 meals plus 2 smaller in-between meal snacks. For example, it recommends consuming 20 per cent of your daily energy for breakfast, 20 per cent for lunch, 40 per cent for dinner and 20 per cent on mid-morning and afternoon snacks. (These recommendations are based on new scientific research).

“When choosing foods and drinks, you can use DIG thumbnails to easily balance your energy intake during the entire day,” Ms Carnell said.

AFGC and its retail partners will be rolling out user-friendly consumer education material in retail stores and in magazines to ensure consumers know how to use the nutritional information to put together a balance diet. For more information on the Daily Intake Guide and to calculate your daily intake levels, visit www.mydailyintake.net or www.afgc.org.au/daily-intake.html

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