front of pack nutrition labelling briefing session – june 2012 alette addison food information and...
TRANSCRIPT
Front of Pack Nutrition Labelling Briefing Session – June 2012
Alette Addison
Food Information and Promotions Manager
Obesity and Food Policy Branch
• Summary of the evidence
• Summary of FIR provisions on FoP
• Outline of Consultation
• Next Steps
What evidence is available?
• Employed a range of methodologies– Literature reviews– Quantitative research– Qualitative research– Evaluations
• Wide range of countries– UK– Europe– USA– Canada– Australia– New Zealand
What evidence is available?
• Overall, the research tends to focus on:– Consumer preferences of front of pack labelling– Consumer understanding of front of pack labelling– Consumer self-reported use of front of pack labelling
• There is limited evidence on:– Consumers’ actual use of front of pack labelling– Impact of front of pack labelling on consumers’ diet
What does the evidence tell us?
• Use of front of pack labelling
• Format of front of pack labelling
• Presentation of front of pack labelling
• Alternative forms of expressions
• Use of logos
Use of FoP Labels
• Who uses food labels?– Women– Those with young children– Dieters/those with special dietary requirements– Higher income, higher education– First time purchases
• Those who use front of pack labelling value it, however front of pack labelling is not readily looked for and will always compete with other aspects of food labelling.
• Consumers have a tendency to over-report using labels
Format of FoP Labelling
• European Research– Fat– Calories– Salt– Sugar
• USA Research– Calories– Saturated fat– Trans fat– Sodium
• What do consumers look for on food labels?
• No evidence available on portion size vs 100g
Presentation of FoP Labelling
• Consumers can use and understand most forms of food labelling, however consistency is key– Given the choice, an integrated label is preferred– Consumers prefer ‘non-directive’ food labels
• However, limited information on how these labels are used
• Overall, consumers prefer a consistent FoP scheme
Additional Forms of Expression
• Colour is the most researched AFE• Initially:
– Could be misleading (unaware that some colours do/do not have meaning)
• More recently: – Can have an impact when instructed to make healthy choice– Helps correct an incorrect intuitive assessment that a product is
healthy when it is not.– Helps in differentiating less healthy alternatives (around the red
amber cut-off).– Reduces complex decision-making
– Aids discrimination between high and low sodium products
Directive Labelling & Logos
• ‘Health Logo’ – (FLABEL, Europe)
• Swedish ‘Keyhole’ – (Sweden, Denmark, Norway)
Looking Ahead
• Always on-going research
• There is already a clear and consistent evidence base
Policy Implications
• It is important to have nutritional information on the front of pack
• Consistency in front of pack labelling schemes is key (over and above the specific type of scheme)
• It is important to have a large market penetration in order to raise awareness in consumers
The Provision of Food Information to Consumers
Regulation 1169/2011
Provision of Food Information to Consumers - Regulation 1169/2011 Nutrition Requirements
• Nutrition Labelling becomes mandatory from end 2016. • Repetition of nutrition information front of pack remains
voluntary, but if provided must comply with Regulation formats from end 2014.
• Nutrition labelling of non-prepacked foods remains voluntary – but if provided the full mandatory labelling or front of pack formats can be used. Member States can mandate provision of some or all mandatory nutrition provisions.
• Alcoholic drinks (>1.2%) exempted from mandatory nutrition but can provide full nutrition or energy only labelling voluntarily whilst Commission consider further (by end 2014).
Front of pack
• Voluntary FOP information permitted on either:
- energy-only, or
- energy plus fat, saturates, sugars & salt
• Information can be provided ‘as sold’ or ‘as consumed’
• Information can be provided per portion or per 100g/mls
• % Reference Intakes (%GDA) information can be given on a per 100g/ml or per portion basis
• Additional forms of expression and presentation are permitted, subject to certain requirements.
Of your guideline daily amount
Energy
1532 kJ366 kcal
Fat
11.3g
Saturates
6.9g
Sugars
10.2g
Salt
1.27g
18% 35%16% 11% 21%
Each portion contains
Additional Forms of Expression
Possible to express the nutrition information in different ways to
just words and numbers.
Additional forms of expression (AFE)
• Must satisfy a number of requirements, such as:– they are based on sound and scientifically valid consumer research
– their development is the result of consultation with a wide range of stakeholders
– they aim to facilitate consumer understanding
• Government able to recommend one or more AFE• Member States must monitor the use of AFE in their
territory and report these to the Commission• The Commission will write a report, with the potential for
future harmonisation of AFE across the EU, by end 2017
So what issues remain?
• As sold or as consumed• Energy or energy + 4• Per 100g or per portion ( portion size)• GDAs?• AFEs?• Position on pack• Logos and Europe• FIR and ‘pings’.
FIR Options
• Energy or Energy + 4• As sold/ As consumed• Per 100g/per portion
Per portion as consumed Per portion as sold
FAT
6.7g
SAT FAT
1.8g
SUGAR
1.2g
SALT
0.69g
ENERGYkJ/kcal
438/105
ENERGYkJ/kcal
284/1008
Per 100gper sausage
FAT
6.7g
SAT FAT
1.8g
SUGAR
1.2g
SALT
0.69g
ENERGYkJ/kcal
438/105
ENERGYkJ/kcal
756/213
Per 100gper sausage
FAT
14.9g/100g
SAT FAT
4.1g/100g
SUGAR
2.7g/100g
SALT
1.53g/100g
ENERGYkJ/kcal756/213Per 100g
Per 100g as sold Per 100g as consumed
FAT
19.9g/100g
SAT FAT
5.5g/100g
SUGAR
3.6g/100g
SALT
2.04g/100g
ENERGYkJ/kcal
1008/284Per 100g
As sold As consumed p/port’n as consumed p/port’n as sold
kJ/kcal756/213
Per 100g Per 100g
kJ/kcal284/1008
kJ/kcal
672/160
per portion
kJ/kcal284/1008
Per 100g
kJ/kcal
672/160
per portion
kJ/kcal756/213
Per 100g
GDAs/Additional forms of expression
• Use of GDA• Use of one form of AFE
Reference intake of an average adult (8400kJ/2000kcal)
MED
FAT
6.5g
LOW
SAT FAT
0.8g
LOW
SUGAR
0.6g
LOW
SALT
0.2g
kJ/kcal
672/160
kJ/kcal756/213
11%8%3%1%4%9%
% of reference intake per sausage Per 100g
ENERGYENERGY
Other Issues for FoP
• Position on pack
• Energy or Energy + 4
• Logos and wider EU harmonisation
• Use of ‘pings’.
So Why Consult?
• The Provision of Food Information to Consumers 1169/2011finalised
• Manufacturers/retailers making changes to labels now
• EU research outcomes now known
Consultation
• All 4 Governments across the UK• Joint ambitions:
– to maintain and extend the use of front of pack labelling across the widest possible range of food and drink products
– to achieve the greatest possible consistency in the content and presentation of front of pack nutrition labelling, in a form which is clearest and most useful to consumers
Aims of the consultation
• To determine the level of consensus around a consistent front of pack labelling scheme
• To collate and explore views from, industry, consumer and others around the use of logos.
• To determine how front of pack labelling might support the wider Government agenda
• To determine any unknown costs and benefits.
Next Steps
• 12 weeks consultation ends 6th August 2012• SoS meeting key stakeholders during the
consultation period. Officials also meeting stakeholders to explore their current positions in more depth
• Outcome of consultation considered by all 4 Governments
• Summary published• Governments announce next steps