Company news: New label will help consumers make healthier food choices

Representatives of the food and beverage industry came together with nutrition experts and industry stakeholders in Johannesburg today when the Choices International Foundation promoted the “Choices” front-of-pack labelling system to help consumers make healthier choices.

“Choices” is an international food industry initiative which has been voluntarily adopted by major food companies in over 36 countries and on more than 1700 products. Governed by the Choices International Foundation, the programme's easily identifiable front-of-pack logo helps consumers quickly identify healthy choices at point of purchase and encourages participating food companies to improve the composition of their products.

Dr Nelia Steyn of the SA Medical Research Council's Chronic Diseases of Lifestyle Research Unit said that with incorrect food choices greatly contributing to obesity and its attendant health risks, simple front-of-pack logos would be most effective in helping consumers make the healthy choice in the supermarket.

“Being overweight is not just a cosmetic issue, but brings with it serious health risks,” she said.

“South Africans are now consuming a diet which is far higher in kilojoules, salt, trans fats, saturated fat and sugar and, coupled with predominantly inactive lifestyles, none of this is good news for our health.”

International research has shown that consumers make purchasing decisions in a supermarket within a few seconds and that most have an interest in nutritional information on packs but find the current labeling systems confusing.

While around 50% of consumers claim they look at labels, this does not necessarily mean they also process the detailed nutritional descriptions or can use these to make healthier choices.

Jup van 't Veld, Secretary of the Choices International Foundation whose objective is to facilitate the global introduction of the Choices Programme, said the food industry had a key responsibility in fighting obesity, by improving food products and helping consumers to identify the healthy choice.

He said the “Choices” stamp certified that the food products had passed an evaluation against a set of qualifying criteria based on international dietary guidelines.

“The availability of health logos is a strong incentive for food companies to make their products healthier. A consistent front-of-pack labelling system can thus have a substantial positive impact on public health,” he said.

In South Africa more than half the deaths due to chronic disease, including heart disease, occur before the age of 65 years. These are premature deaths that affect the workforce in the country and have a major impact on the economy of the country.

For more information, visit the website www.choicesinternational.org or telephone Ruksha Maharaj on 031-5702108 or Yogin Devan on 083-3263962.