Changes needed in the food labelling industry to tackle obesity

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 7:24p.m.

Tomorrow the Food Safety Minister Kate Wilkinson heads off to Brisbane to attend the annual Australia New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council.

In short – this council sets food standards in Australasia. It is understood that food labelling is on the agenda.

There is so much confusion out there with regards to nutritional information, Sue Kedgley hosts supermarket tours to help shoppers translate the labels on food packaging.

The only mandatory rule for food manufacturers in New Zealand is to display the amount of kilojules per serving on the packet.

“The labelling is deliberately confusing,” says Kedgley.

“The food industry looks at a label as a marketing tool to sell the product – not as a way to inform the consumer.”

One display that goes further than the mandatory requirement is the heart foundation tick – it goes onto more than 900 products.

Each product that gets the tick pays $3,300 each year for the priviledge.

“The heart foundation tick gives quick advice but it doesn’t tell you what you need to know – it tells you it is the best in the range, but does not tell you about fat,” says Ms Kedgley.

Mihingarangi Forbes looks at our food labelling laws as they stand, and how they could be improved

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