Brits Reading Food Labels

Almost three quarters of UK consumers (72%) are familiar with Guideline Daily Amount labelling (GDAs) according to research by food and grocery think tank IGD. GDAs are a focus of the current, much-discussed Public Health White Paper.

Most consumers say they understand the concept and can identify which products are high, medium or low in a particular nutrient using GDAs, which are widely used throughout the UK food and grocery industry. Packages generally illustrate GDAs on the back next to the Nutrition panel, giving totals for men and women along with the average daily amount of fat and calories to consume if they wish to maintain their current weight. Nutrition professionals recommend 2000 calories and 70g of fat daily for an average women and 2500 calories / 95g for men.

The research found that 34% of consumers use GDAs regularly, to identify which products are high or low in fat and calories. Of the 28% who say they have never seen them, 10% thought they would be useful in the future.

Chief Exec Joanne Denney-Finch says the awareness level is encouraging, but that IGD's working group will continue to work with consumers and representatives from all sectors of the industry to further develop GDAs. However, Denney-Finch points out that 'labelling alone will not address the health challenge. IGD research shows that the majority of people (61%) believe their diet is always healthy and would not seek to change it. Labels can not change the nation's eating habits, but they can help to communicate broader dietary messages and help consumers to make informed choices. To be successful labels must be consistent across the industry, they must be clear and simple and most of all they must not be confusing or mislead consumers... the real challenge is how to motivate consumers to change their behaviour'. Many people 'tolerate being overweight and measure themselves against their peers. They believe that as long as they are under the average size of the population then their weight is acceptable. However, as the population gets bigger the size deemed acceptable may increase'.

GDA guidelines were published following extensive consumer research in 1998. Ongoing research shows that fat and calories are still the most looked for information on labels (by 27% &15% of consumers respectively).

A copy of the GDA Guidelines are available on IGD's web site at www.igd.com/nutritionlabelling.asp

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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