Have Your Say - FSA Food Calorie Labelling Consultation

Background

A report in 2007 estimated that over 50% of adult men and women in the UK could be obese by 2050. Westminster Government has set out a broad strategy to tackle obesity, which includes the 2008 Healthy Weight Healthy Lives cross-government strategy.

Data from the 2001 National Diet and Nutrition Survey shows that men consume around a quarter of their food energy outside the home, and women around a fifth.

The FSA has committed to develop a system of providing information on the nutritional content of food in a wide range of catering settings which is clear, effective and simple to understand. As a first step, 21 companies agreed to provide calorie labelling at point of choice in around 450 outlets over the summer of 2009.

The Proposal

The FSA’s objective is to develop a voluntary scheme which is adopted across the catering industry, with the intended effect that it will provide consumers with consistent information which will help in making informed choices and identify healthier options when eating out.

Calorie labelling at point of choice has been identified as a first step in providing consumers with nutrition information in catering settings. This is the FSA’s preferred option as it will help to deliver consistent information without unduly burdening industry through regulation and associated costs. This builds on the success of voluntary approaches adopted in related areas of nutrition policy such as salt reduction and front of pack labelling.

The FSA proposes developing the criteria used by businesses over the summer of 2009 into the following seven principles for calorie labelling:

• Coverage of food and drink sold (alcoholic drinks are not required to be labelled)
• Values are provided per portion/item/meal
• Provision at point of choice
• Presenting calorie information in a clear and prominent fashion
• Rounding of calorie values upwards
• Presenting calorie values using ranges
• Presenting reference information in a clear and prominent fashion
• Questions Asked and Next Steps

The consultation seeks views on the above principles to ensure consistency in the approaches being taken to displaying calorie values. The consultation also seeks information on wider issues such as obtaining calorie information, and welcomes views on the best ways to engage with the industry to promote uptake of the scheme.

Businesses are also asked to share with the FSA their experiences of providing nutrition information at point of choice, in particular:

• The practical issues facing businesses
• How they decided which nutrients to display and where to present them
• Any information businesses have about how consumers use the information
• Any impact on sales or the products offered
• Any consumer research that can be published

The FSA will issue final proposals early in 2010 and plans to review the calorie labelling scheme once it has been in place for at least 18-24 months.

For full details and information on how to have your say on the consultation, visit our Hot Topics page.

Contact

Joanna Buston
Email: joannab@bii.org
Telephone: 01276 417863