Traffic ‘jams’: calls to fix chaotic food labelling post-Brexit
BDB Pitmans
The consumer group Which? has recently called for traffic light food labelling to be made mandatory, due to concerns about inconsistent information misleading consumers. The traffic light system classes nutritional information into green, amber and red to reflect the content of certain nutrients per 100g. However, some brands have created their own variation by reducing the weight or including milk in the calculation.
The government is being urged to use Brexit as an opportunity to introduce new British laws which will regulate the use of the traffic light labelling scheme to improve health and wellbeing. Such labelling is currently a voluntary option in the UK, in compliance with European Union laws. Consumer groups argue that mandatory uniform labelling would lead to greater awareness and an increased consumption of healthier alternatives.
This issue is certainly one for those in the food and drink sector to keep an eye on as we near the deadline for Brexit on 29 March 2019.
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