By: Andy Benson Date: 8/24/11
From front-of-package labels in the United States to traffic lights in Great Britain and Korea to label reviews in the European Union, Australia and New Zealand, nutrition labels have become a hot topic around the world.
Nutrition labelling is mandatory in some countries such as the United States, but only in connection with health and nutrition claims in most others. With the rise of obesity as a public health issue, the nutrition label is getting a closer look from policy makers.
Label Proliferation
As a result of the growing interest, nutrition labelling initiatives have proliferated around the globe: governments, international organisations, NGOs, food manufacturers and retailers have developed a variety of front-of-package and back-of-package nutrition labelling schemes. Some consumer research and analysis has been carried out to determine which systems work best, i.e. are most likely to be used by consumers, are most user-friendly, and are most likely to lead consumers to make balanced choices.
Still, interpretations of the evidence differ, especially between food and beverage manufacturers and consumer groups, and there is as yet no national, regional or international consensus on what nutrition labelling system works best. Yet there is a growing body of research, increasingly based on empirical evidence, which should help to inform policy-making in the coming years.
Global Update on Nutrition Labelling
A new report, The Global Update on Nutrition Labelling June 2011 takes a closer look at food labelling across the globe, identifies examples of best practices, and highlights consumer research and emerging trends in labelling systems.
The report makes a number of recommendations for consistent nutrition labelling around the world, including:
• Nutrition labels should be based on science: More research is needed to better comprehend how consumers can best be helped to understand and use nutrition labels, and what the roles of industry, consumer groups, public authorities, and educators should be in this respect.
• Simple yet informative nutrition labelling is required.
• Nutrition labelling policy should take into account consumer use, interpretation, and understanding of different nutrition labelling schemes, but ultimately it is the impact on purchasing decisions and overall diets that matter.
The 86-page “Global Update on Nutrition Labelling” report is produced by the European Food Information Council, in conjunction with the IFIC Foundation and other food information organisations worldwide and is available here. For information on this and other documents available from EUFIC, please consult the website www.eufic.org or send an email to publications@eufic.org.