Tesco to clarify labelling to promote healthier eating

THE fat, salt or sugar levels of each product on sale in Tesco outlets is to be clearly displayed on its foods within the next 18 months.

These nutrition labels will let consumers know how much each product contributes to the daily diet.

The supermarket, which is Ireland’s biggest grocery retailer, has put the information panels on 5,000 own-brand foods and aims to ensure all its 7,000 products have the labels by the end of next year.

The labels display calories, fat content, saturates, sugar and salt per serving or per pack.

Alongside this figure is a percentage to show how much each serving contributes to the recommended daily intake for a woman.

For instance, a label on a low-fat chicken sandwich shows it contains 295 calories, which is 15% of the energy an average woman needs every day.

Tesco yesterday said the labels were designed to help consumers know what’s in food at a glance.

Tesco nutritionist Paula Mee said: “This is an important step in terms of food labelling and promoting healthier eating. More consumers want to know what’s in the food they eat and this ‘front-of-pack’ labelling ensures consumers can make informed choices.”

Tesco’s labelling scheme is the food industry’s preferred system and uses guideline daily amounts to show much each product contributes to the average woman’s diet.

Men, teenagers and children have different requirements and consumers will have to work out the maths for themselves.

Other food labels tell consumers how much each portion contributes to their daily requirements for fruit, vegetables, meat and other foods.

Another labelling system uses red, amber and green labels to show how often consumers should be eating the kind of food.

Yesterday the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute which represents the country’s clinical nutritionists and dietitians, said consumers remained confused by labelling schemes. Institute dietician Margot Brennan said the body would prefer labels showing where products fitted into the food pyramid of the recommended daily consumption of food types.

The pyramid recommends consumers have five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, for instance, but fewer portions of meat and dairy and little amounts of oil and sweets.

“No food labelling system is ideal but if they are used in conjunction with the pyramid then at least consumers can make informed choices,” said Ms Brennan.

“At the moment manufacturers will often say if a product contributes to people’s five-a-day for fruit and veg but they won’t say it for meat or dairy.”

She said labelling systems can give the impression that certain foods are “bad”.

Cheese was high in fat and salt but was an important food as it contained vital nutrients and vitamins, she said.

“Eventually someone (in the EU) is going to have to decide on one labelling system,” she said.

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