This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/health/7217198.stm

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Call for EU-wide food labelling EU backs rival food label scheme
(about 5 hours later)
Food labelling could be standardised across Europe under rules being considered by the European Commission. The European Commission has come out in favour of a system of food labelling opposed by the UK regulator.
It aims to simplify the nutritional information provided on food and drink packaging of facts. The commission is proposing it should be mandatory to have guideline daily amounts on the front of packs - a system backed by some UK supermarkets.
The UK government recently called on the major food and drink manufacturers and supermarkets to agree one labelling system - or face legislation. But the UK Food Standards Agency favours a traffic light system, where red means fat or sugar levels are high.
There are currently two schemes - the traffic light system and one setting out guideline daily amounts (GDAs). Consumer campaigners have criticised the commission's proposal, and said it ignores what works best for the public.
An EU-wide scheme would help consumers to choose a healthy diet by providing at-a-glance, effective, easy-to-compare and easy-to-understand information Monique Goyens, BEUC Confusing, overloaded or misleading labels can be more of a hindrance than a help to the consumer Markos Kyprianou, EU Health Commissioner
Under the traffic light system, used by Sainsbury's, Waitrose, the Co-Op, Marks and Spencer and Asda, red signals high levels of fat, salt and sugar. Tesco, Somerfield and Morrison are some of those who use GDAs.
Other companies, including Tesco, Somerfield and Morrison, use GDAs display the proportions of daily levels of key nutrients in the product. However, companies including Sainsbury's, Waitrose, the Co-Op and Marks and Spencer use the traffic light system, where red signals high levels of fat, salt and sugar.
Health Secretary Alan Johnson said there was a risk that consumers would be confused as long as the existing schemes kept operating. Asda and McCains use a hybrid of the two.
The UK government is launching an independent review to assess the odds of agreeing a single, clearer, food and drink labelling policy, and the commission is urging all 27 EU member states to sign up to the same system - whichever one they pick. The UK government has criticised the existence of multiple schemes, and said it would consider legislation if one system is not agreed upon.
'The big eight' 'Hindrance'
A draft EU regulation, drawn up after talks with industry and consumer groups, is calling for a clearer, uniform standard of information which must be compulsory on labels. The commission said the draft regulation was simply setting out general requirements on how nutritional information on calorie content and fat, sugar and salt levels should be displayed.
There is currently a seven-year-old directive which sets out what information must be set out on labelling including use-by-date, a list of ingredients and any special conditions of use. If approved by EU ministers, the proposal would require that the energy, fat, saturated fat and carbohydrates content of food per 100mg or per portion are displayed clearly on the front of the packet.
However nutritional labelling is optional, and there is no agreed format for how such details should be displayed. The labelling would also have to include the proportion of those contents in relation to the recommended daily allowance of each one.
Products only have to display information on nutrition when a claim is being made about the food or drink's contents. But the commission said there was still scope for each country to promote additional national schemes "provided they do not undermine the EU rules".
BEUC, the European umbrella group for consumer organisations, said whichever scheme was chosen, it should be standard and understandable. These proposals have ignored what works best for consumers and opted for what works best for some sections of the food industry Sue Davies, Which?
Monique Goyens, BEUC director general, said: "An EU-wide scheme would help consumers to choose a healthy diet by providing at-a-glance, effective, easy-to-compare and easy-to-understand information on the levels of the key nutrients fat, saturates, sugars and salt in a food. EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said: "Food labels can have a huge influence on consumers' purchasing decisions.
"The use of multiple colour coding would indicate whether levels of these nutrients are high, medium or low. The categories would be based on sound and independent criteria." "Confusing, overloaded or misleading labels can be more of a hindrance than a help to the consumer."
She added: "In order for a nutrition label to be meaningful to consumers, the 'big eight' - protein, energy, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugar, salt and fibre - as well as trans fatty acids must be included. The proposal may also affect online food shopping. In a statement, the commission said: "Many consumers now buy their food via the internet.
A European Commission official said any agreement had to meet the needs of the food and drink industry, as well as of consumers, with clear-cut rules which did not impose unnecessary burdens. "These consumers have the same need for clear, essential information as those who shop in their local supermarket."
'Incredibly disappointing'
A Food Standards Agency spokeswoman said it welcomed the commission's recognition of the importance of clear, front of pack labelling.
She added: "An independent evaluation of the three labelling schemes in use in the UK is now underway.
"The results of this study will tell us what is working best for consumers and will inform future negotiations on this EU proposal."
UK consumer campaigners criticised the commission's proposal.
Which? chief policy adviser, Sue Davies, said: "These recommendations are incredibly disappointing for consumers across Europe and are not evidence based.
"Independent research shows that traffic lights are the best way to help busy shoppers identify healthy choices quickly and easily.
"These proposals have ignored what works best for consumers and opted for what works best for some sections of the food industry."