A campaign that aims to promote consumers’ understanding of nutritional information on food labels was unveiled today.
The industry-funded, nationwide information campaign aims to help people understand more about the new Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) food labelling system.
GDA labels are a guide to how much energy (calories) and key nutrients (sugars, fat, saturates and salt) the average healthy person requires for a balanced diet.
According to the Irish Business and Employers’ Confederation, over half of all branded packaged food and drink products and almost all participating supermarket own-label branded products now displaying the system front of pack.
This latest phase of the information campaign will take place in the top 25 Tesco stores across the country this weekend.
Welcoming the initiative at the launch in Dublin today, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Brendan Smith, said the increased use of GDAs will provide invaluable information to consumers.
Dr Louise Sullivan, a senior executive with Food and Drink Industry Ireland (FDII) said the new product labels gave consumers the information to make better food choices. The FDII’s member companies funded the campaign.
A consumer website has been developed (www.gdaguide.ie) to support the campaign, along with an information booklet that can be ordered on www.fdii.ie.
Dermott Jewell of the Consumers’ Association of Ireland has in the past said nutritional information on packs, either using the GDA or the UK’s Traffic Light system, should be mandatory.
