Five-colour logo shows food quality

A HEALTH watchdog has recommended France use a five-colour code to give consumers advice on the nutritional quality of foods such as cereals or ready-made meals.

The Haut Conseil de la Santé Publique said that the system, which identifies the saturated fat, sugar, salt and calories in foods, was simple and easy to understand by all and would help people eat better and combat obesity.

A new law on public health will include an obligation for food manufacturers to include a logo with nutritional information on the front of the pack, although no final design has yet been agreed.

The HCSP advice follows support from consumer groups Que Choisir and CLCV which said it was “an antidote to food marketing”.

HCSP president Prof Didier Jourdan said that while the system was not perfect, “the five-c olour code gives consumers a rapid way of checking nutritional content but also offered the opportunity to compare products from different companies, for example, the least-sugary or least fatty breakfast cereal.”

He added that it complemented the other information already given, on calories, sugars and fats, that was often written in small, hard-to-read type.

The HCSP opted for the five-colour code – green, yellow, orange, pink and red – despite supermarket groups suggesting a three or four colour logo and others calling for a traffic light system, as in the UK. It said the five colours would allow companies to change the composition of their product to earn a better nutritional rating.

For foods such as cheeses the logos will recognise their protein and calcium content while drinks will be ranked down on their sugar content. Wines and spirits are not covered and only water will get a green logo.
Graphic: Simplifions l'étiquetage