Colour code plan for food labelling
France’s health minister Marisol Touraine set to unveil plans to make it easier to identify healthier food
A COLOUR-CODING system labelling system that signals the nutritional value of food is set to be a key measure in a new bill that will be put forward by health and social affairs minister Marisol Touraine tomorrow.
Under the proposed system, similar to the “traffic light” colours used in Britain, packaging could be equipped with a colour code to identify a food’s nutritional quality.
Sugar, fat, salt and calorie content of foods would be highlighted using a five-colour code - green, yellow, orange, fuschia and red - Le Monde reports.
It is intended to be easier for shoppers to understand than the current nutritional and ingredient list on the back of food packaging, and would have to be clearly placed on the front.
A petition launched last Tuesday by medical organisations and consumer groups in support of improved food labelling has already attracted more than 22,000 signatures.
The wide-ranging health system reform Ms Touraine is set to propose will also include plans to end the practice of patients having to pay their GPs at every visit, recognise midwives as primary care practitioners, and tough anti-smoking measures.
Photo: Health Gauge
