Call to make nutrition food labels mandatory

NUTRITION labels on the front of food packaging should be made mandatory in the UK, according to a consumer champion.

- STORM NEWTON Press Association

Which? called on the Government to make the change amid what it described as an “obesity crisis”.

A “better approach” is needed to help people make healthier choices, it said.

It comes after research by the group found shoppers prefer traffic light labelling, although they said it could be improved with more prominent placing and increased size.

Traffic light labelling on food packaging was introduced in 2013 and uses green (low), amber (medium), and red (high) colours to show fat, saturated fat, sugar, and salt content, plus calories.

‘The system is not mandatory in the UK, although it is voluntarily used by major manufacturers and retailers.

However, according to Which? the system is used inconsistently.

It claims some shops do not include traffic light labelling, or provide it without colour coding.