News from the traffic light

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News from the traffic light

Source:Foodwatch

On 16.06.2010 the decision has been made: The EU parliament has rejected the traffic light marking of food in trade. Consumer's minister Ilse Aigner does not want to oppose this opinion from Brussels. For some years policy, economy and consumerists argue about a uniform marking of nutrients on the packages. There are two models: The "traffic light", marking high shares of injurious components (e.g., sugar, fat) with red and yellow. Green stands for "safe". On the other hand we find since 2006 on products from the big food companies the Guidelines Daily Amount (GDA) whose absolute and proportional information provides clarification of protein, carbohydrates and fat. Originally this model contained individual portions as a base for calculation. Now the producers work on a uniform standard, so that comparability is guaranteed. The new nutritional value compass GDA will contain after all foresight portions as well as 100Gramm-data.

Ralph Bloemer, InterMeat.de
Already since 2006 the British select their food in some supermarkets with the traffic light. Critics from science and industry accuse this form of marking as disadvantageous simplification: Cooking oil and chocolate would have to remain in the racks. Discrimination of some product groups could be the result. Surveys and consumer's studies speak of a high acceptance on the buyers side, because a quick orientation is possible. However, the GDA model can be favoured concerning the precise analysis of the nutrients on the basis of everyday consumption amounts. Hence the consumer should be able to handle figures.

So on the political level all signs stand on green for the industry solution. In the revision of this marking model there are chances for a solution satisfactory for everyone. Not every given portion fits for every consumer, this serves merely as an orientation. With the initiative „ Excellently informed“ for standardization of the nutrition information the big food producers do a thrust in the direction of user-friendliness and dialog with interest groups. The health of consumers is the main issue which can be connected with scientific and economic necessities.

Ralph Bloemer, InterMeat.de