Food Labels Hope To Fight Obesity Crisis In UK, Plus Secret Fat Traps (PICTURES) | HuffPost Life

Food Labels Hope To Fight Obesity Crisis In UK

PA/The Huffington Post UK

In a bid to tackle the growing obesity crisis in the UK, a new front-of-pack food label is being rolled out to enable shoppers to easily identify nutritional information on products.

The label combines traffic light colour-coding and nutritional information in the new form of "Reference Intakes" in place of GDAs (Guideline Daily Amounts) to show how much of the maximum daily intake of fat, saturated fat, salt, sugar and calories is in a 100g portion.

All the major supermarkets - Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, the Co-operative, Waitrose and Tesco - have announced that they will use the label on their products, alongside Mars UK, Nestle UK, PepsiCo UK, Premier Foods and McCain Foods.

Food labelling is to be made consistent across all supermarkets

The change follows research that found consumers are confused when more than one scheme is used, which in turn reduces their ability and inclination to use the information.

Health problems associated with being overweight or obese cost the NHS more than £5 billion pounds a year.

A 2011 report found that 61% of the adult population in England is overweight or obese - higher than almost all other developed countries.

It also found one third of 10 to 11 year olds and almost a quarter of four to five-year-olds are overweight or obese.

According to a recent study, women who read food labels are more likely to be slimmer than those who do not.

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Public Health Minister Anna Soubry said: "The UK already has the largest number of products using a front of pack label in Europe but we know that people get confused by the variety of labels that are used.

"Research shows that, of all the current schemes, people like this label the most and they can use the information to make healthier choices.

"We all have a responsibility to tackle the challenge of obesity, including the food industry. By having all major retailers and manufacturers signed up to the consistent label, we will all be able to see at a glance what is in our food. This is why I want to see more manufacturers signing up and using the label."

Story continues below...

20 Supermarket Shopping Tips

The Inner Aisles (01 of19)

Grocery stores are designed in such a way to have the essential ingredients such as dairy and produce on opposite ends of the store. This forces most shoppers to pass through all the aisles, often times picking up items they don't need. Try to skip the middle of the store and stick to only the items you need. (credit:Alamy)

Brand Names(02 of19)

You might be used to a particular brand of cereal or sugar, but the generic options are usually cheaper. The grocery store brands often use name-brand products with their own labels on it; and they offer it at a better price. Just check the ingredients to be sure you are getting the same product. (credit:Alamy)

Toiletries(03 of19)

While buying toiletries at the supermarket may be easy, you're paying a price for that convenience. Save those items for the pharmacy, where they are usually cheaper. (credit:Alamy)

Middle Shelves(04 of19)

Since we tend to look at items that are at our eye level, grocery stores know to place the more expensive items on the shelves we see first. When shopping, look at the higher and lower shelves for cheaper items. (credit:Alamy)

Pre-Packaged Foods(05 of19)

Don't buy the pre-made foods such as potato salad at the store, when you can purchase the ingredients and make it for a fraction of the price at home. And it'll taste much better fresh too. (credit:Alamy)

Shopping With Children(06 of19)

While sometimes we can't avoid shopping with children, it's best to try to buy your groceries when they're not around. Children will often want to buy food items that you don't need, and it isn't always easy to say no. (credit:Alamy)

Pre-Grated Cheese(07 of19)

Just like with pre-packaged lettuce and pre-cut fruit, grated cheese costs you extra for the convenience it brings you. But it's not that hard to grate your own cheese. With a less expensive block of cheese, and a cheap box grater, you can start saving money on this ingredient. (credit:Alamy)

Shopping When Hungry(08 of19)

Many of us go to the grocery store after work and before dinner, which is when we start to get hungry. If you buy your groceries when hungry, you'll purchase more than you need. Try to get the shopping out of the way on the weekends, when you can shop on a full stomach. (credit:Flickr: flo21)

Unit Price(09 of19)

Almost all supermarkets list the unit price of their items. It's wise to look at these as they make it easy to see which brand really gives you the best deal for your money. This way you can avoid being fooled by overly packaged items with little inside. (credit:Alamy)

The Offender: Pre-Packaged Salad(10 of19)

Yes, it's convenient to have your lettuce in already-clean-and-trimmed plastic tubs, but it also costs nearly three times the price. If you buy your own head of lettuce, wash and trim it right away, and have it ready to use, you won't even notice the difference (and you'll save quite a few bucks a month). (credit:Target)

No Shopping List(11 of19)

You might have an incredible memory, making it able to remember everything you need from the supermarket without having to write it down (an admirable and uncommon skill). And while writing a shopping list does help many of us remember what we need to get, more importantly, it keeps us from buying the things we don't need (if we stick to our list). (credit:Alamy)

Canned Beans(12 of19)

Many people opt for canned beans because they're too intimidated to cook their own. But making a good pot of beans is really easy. So fear it no longer, and start saving some money by buying the bags of dried beans instead of cans. While the difference in price is not enough to break the bank, these little changes will add up. (credit:Amazon)

Pre-Cut Fruit(13 of19)

If someone is getting paid to do a job that you could easily do yourself at home (like cutting up a mango) you're going to be paying for it. (credit:Getty Images)

Out-Of-Season Produce(14 of19)

You've heard it before, and you'll hear it again: eat the produce that's in season. Not only will it taste infinitely better, but it will save you serious money. Because it costs them less to produce fruit and veggies that are local and in season, it costs less for you to buy it. (credit:Flickr: photon_de)

Bottled Water(15 of19)

Bottled water is a multi-million pound industry, and it's coming out of your pocket. (credit:Amazon)

Spice Mixes(16 of19)

Fancy spice mixes can be a biggest waste of money since you can make your own spice mix with seasonings you most likely already have on hand (a large portion of most of the mixes being salt). (credit:Amazon)

The Offender: Fresh Herbs(17 of19)

You're literally throwing money away by not starting your own herb garden. Fresh herbs cost a small fortune at the grocery store. Often times you can buy an entire plant for less than you can a few sprigs at the supermarket. And while not everyone has space for a garden, most people can fit at least a few pots somewhere in their home. (credit:Flickr: liza31337)

Exotic Spices(18 of19)

While experimenting with your cooking is a good idea, it's not always wise to buy those spices at your local grocery store. Taking the time to make a trip to an international market can save you a ton (almost 10 times in savings) on spices and specialty ingredients. (credit:Amazon)

Microwaveable Popcorn(19 of19)

This item is a major culprit of wasting your money. Sometimes you can pay almost double the price just for the convenience of having individual microwaveable bags. But what you're really doing is paying more for inferior popcorn. Save money, pop your own, and enjoy the real flavor of freshly popped corn. (credit:Alamy)

Consumer and health groups including Which? and the British Heart Foundation welcomed the scheme, and called on more food manufacturers to sign up.

Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said: "For years Which? has been calling for food companies to use traffic light labels so we welcome this big step forward towards making it easier for consumers to make healthy choices.

"With levels of obesity and diet-related disease on the increase, it's vitally important that people know what is in their food, and this labelling scheme will encourage food companies to do more to reduce the amount of sugar, salt and fat in popular products.

"We hope that more food manufacturers will join the scheme so that their labels will be consistent and comparable to those on the front of the retailers' own packs."

British Heart Foundation chief executive Simon Gillespie said: "This is undeniably a first-class scheme that will make it easier for shoppers to scan the shelves and make more informed choices about what's going in their trolley.

"High levels of diet-related chronic diseases in the UK, including heart disease, mean it's essential we have clear and consistent food labelling so people can make healthy choices.

"We're delighted all the major supermarkets are committed to the scheme and look forward to more food manufacturers signing up."

The Department of Health said the businesses that had signed up to using the new label to date accounted for more than 60% of the food that is sold in the UK.

Shadow public health minister Diane Abbott said: "It is welcome news the Government is joining Labour and health groups' campaign for this to happen. Any companies that refuse to do their bit must be named and shamed.

"But there is also a danger that this step forward may evaporate once the spotlight has moved on, because the Government is so reliant on these voluntary agreements.

"Clear, simple, consistent front-of-pack nutrition labelling has an important role to play in making it easier for people to eat healthily but it is no good doing this in isolation. It has got to be part of a wider Government strategy to tackle obesity and diet-related disease.

"Labour is leading the fight for protections against junk food marketing, for limits on sugar, fat and salt content in food, for our children to be able to have healthy lunches at schools and for children to learn about cooking and food."

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