Labelled and likeable?

11/03/10 10:15


Food industry wins battle over warning labels on 'junk' meals
The Food Standards Agency backed down yesterday in its long-running battle to force Britain's £72bn food industry to adopt colour-coded warning labels, to the disappointment of campaigners who believe they would turn people off junk food. Research by the FSA suggests that consumers support red, amber and green labels on food products to help identify those that are high, medium or low in key ingredients. However, the Government watchdog has stepped back from demands for a single national scheme based around traffic light colours.
The Independent, Date: 11/03/2010, Page: 20,21  Daily Mail, Page: 40(8808186)


Tinned spinach sales rise 24 per cent
Tinned spinach has become one of the country's fastest selling canned vegetables as Britons seek a healthier diet, analysts' figures show. Supermarket sales of canned spinach have increased 24 per cent year on year, beaten only by broad beans, up 30 per cent over the same period.
The Daily Telegraph, Date: 11/03/2010, Page: 14  Evening Standard London, Page: 18(8801664)
This is really good news for promoting healthy eating. Whether you are a fan of the Traffic Light system of food labelling: Green - it’s good for you, go ahead and eat it; Amber - eat less of this than green stuff as it will have more fat, calories, salt, sugar; Red - this is treat stuff, high in fat, salt, sugar. Eat it, but occasionally and for a treat. It’s a start, but we know that saying Smoking Kills on packets of cigarettes doesn’t stop people smoking. Let’s hope that common sense wins eventually.
How figures can be massaged! 24% up on what? Next to nothing, me thinks. Canned spinach is HORRID - frozen may take more energy but it is so much nicer and, with dark green leafy veg we need to encourage to eat and enjoy them. I am a fanned of tinned foods - but not spinach!!!!!! A non-story if ever there was!