Food labelling wars
Labelling was once a dull technical matter. How did it get so controversial?
‘Be active for 30 minutes’ is the message at the heart of the ‘Be Treatwise’ campaign launched by Cadbury Trebor Bassett and rival Masterfoods UK (Mars). The two companies are printing a panel of ‘rotating messages’ containing health advice on the back of their confectionery as part of a new drive to encourage consumers to lead a healthier lifestyle.
For the first time their packaging will also display official Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) for the recommended number of calories and the amount of sugar, fat, saturate and salt that each person needs, alongside the nutritional content of the product.
A second food-labelling scheme has been developed by Kraft, Danone, Kelloggs, Nestle and PepsiCo. The five manufacturers have announced a joint agreement to place labels on the front of all of their products, containing detailed nutritional information alongside the GDAs. Meanwhile, McDonald’s is following the sporty makeover of Ronald McDonald in 2005 by printing nutritional information on the packaging of its burgers and french fries.
Improved food labelling was identified as a key element in the government’s strategy to combat obesity in last year’s Public Health White Paper. The Food Standards Agency has approved a ‘traffic-light’ labelling scheme, which will mark out foods as bad (red), medium (amber), or good (green).
The previously dull world of food labelling has become an increasingly contentious area. But why has there been this sudden rush to come up with new ways to label what we eat?
Obesity has become a politically live issue in recent years. Reports highlighting the rising levels of obesity in the world’s richest nations have generated exaggerated claims that we could soon see life expectancy begin to fall, as levels of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer skyrocket. Much of the blame for obesity has been pinned on the food industry. Morgan Spurlock’s 2004 film Super Size Me captured this changing mood, with its portrayal of a heartless fast-food giant cynically peddling fat-saturated food to an unsuspecting American public.
The idea of food carrying a red label ‘health warning’ suggests that there is something intrinsically dangerous about certain types of food. The food industry apparently stands guilty of manufacturing products that ruin people’s health and destroy lives.
The traffic light scheme effectively treats consumers like children who need to be told what’s good for them, and denies their ability to make their own decisions about what to eat. But nobody needs to be told that a diet solely composed of sweets and chocolate isn’t a good idea.
Consumer groups have denounced food manufacturers’ labelling initiatives as attempts to undermine the traffic-light scheme, in order to protect their profits. But does the outcome of the food labelling war really matter all that much? The government’s favoured traffic-light scheme will at best do little more than remind us of what we already know – certain foods will make us fat when eaten in excess and exercise is an important component of a healthy lifestyle. If labels threatening impotence, lung cancer and a slow, painful death can’t put people off smoking, then what hope is there that a much smaller message hidden away on the back of a chocolate wrapper will change the nation’s habits?
The move to put health warnings on chocolate bars is seen as a bit of a joke. One newsagent, 45-year-old Michael Norton, said: ‘I don’t think that it’s going to make any difference. Everyone knows that chocolate’s full of sugar but people buy it because they like it.’ A second newsagent, Dorothy Maynard, 51, was similarly unconvinced. ‘That’s stupid, I can’t believe it! I don’t see people taking any notice of warnings on cigarette packs so I can’t see them taking any notice of chocolate wrappers.’ Meanwhile, retired council worker David Gibbon, 63, argued: ‘If you eat a lot of chocolate and don’t do any exercise, you’re going to get fat – it’s not difficult. I think that everyone knows this already. I can’t see how changing the wrapper will stop people eating so much.’
But despite the general scepticism about the new labelling initiatives, some believe that obesity is a growing problem that society needs to address. One shop customer noted: ‘It’s important that people are encouraged to think more about their diet. I think that people are getting fatter nowadays, so I think that it’s a good thing.’
We won’t reduce obesity by trying to pin the blame on foods that are fine as part of a healthy lifestyle. Perhaps it’s time that we called a truce in the food labelling war. Food labels, after all, belong on the back of a packet – not in the headlines.
Chris Pile worked as an intern at spiked.
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Vita vya Kuorodhesha Chakula Kuorodhesha chakula wakati mmoja kulikuwa jambo la kiufundi lisilo na maana. Jambo hilo lilitokeza ubishi mwingi jinsi gani? "Kuwa na shughuli kwa dakika 30"" ni ujumbe katika moyo wa kampeni ""Kuwa Treatwise"" iliyozinduliwa na Cadbury Trebor Bassett na mshindani Masterfoods UK (Mars)." Kampuni hizo mbili zinachapisha ujumbe wa mzunguko unaoonyesha ushauri wa afya kwenye nyuma ya bidhaa zao za sukari kama sehemu ya kampeni mpya ya kuhamasisha watumiaji kuongoza maisha ya afya. Kwa mara ya kwanza, kifurushi cha bidhaa hiyo kitakuwa na idadi ya kila siku ya kalori zinazopendekezwa na kiasi cha sukari, mafuta, chumvi na chumvi zinazohitajika na maudhui ya lishe ya bidhaa hiyo. Mpango wa pili wa kutia alama chakula umebuniwa na Kraft, Danone, Kelloggs, Nestle na PepsiCo. Kampuni hizo tano zimekubaliana kuweka alama za lishe kwenye bidhaa zao zote, pamoja na maelezo ya lishe. McDonald's imepanga kuanzisha mpango wa kuunda bidhaa mpya ya Ronald McDonald kwa kuchapisha maelezo ya lishe kwenye vifurushi vya burger na friji. Kuongeza ubora wa vitambulisho vya chakula ni moja ya mambo muhimu katika mkakati wa serikali wa kupambana na unene wa mwili katika kitabu cha afya ya umma cha mwaka jana. Shirika la Viwango vya Chakula limekubali mpango wa kuweka alama za "mwangaza wa trafiki", ambao utaashiria vyakula kuwa vibaya (nyekundu), vya kati (amber), au vyema (kijani). Ulimwengu wa awali wa kuchosha wa kutia alama vyakula umekuwa eneo lenye ubishi zaidi na zaidi. Lakini kwa nini kuna haraka hii ya ghafla ya kuja na njia mpya za kuweka alama kwenye kile tunachokula? Uzito umekuwa suala la kisiasa katika miaka ya hivi karibuni. Ripoti zinazokazia kuongezeka kwa viwango vya unene wa kupita kiasi katika mataifa tajiri zaidi ulimwenguni zimezalisha madai ya kupita kiasi kwamba hivi karibuni tunaweza kuona muda wa maisha kuanza kushuka, kwani viwango vya ugonjwa wa kisukari wa Aina ya 2, ugonjwa wa moyo na mishipa ya damu na saratani huongezeka. Sehemu kubwa ya hatia ya kunenepa kupita kiasi imewekwa juu ya viwanda vya vyakula. "Mwanzoni mwa mwaka wa 2004, Morgan Spurlock aliandika filamu ya ""Super Size Me"" ambayo ilionyesha jinsi kampuni kubwa ya vyakula vya haraka ilivyotumia mafuta mengi katika vyakula vya chakula cha kawaida." Wazo la chakula chenye lebo nyekundu ya " tahadhari ya afya" linaonyesha kwamba kuna kitu cha hatari ndani ya aina fulani za chakula. Inaonekana kwamba viwanda vya vyakula vina hatia ya kutengeneza bidhaa zinazoharibu afya ya watu na kuharibu maisha yao. Mpango wa taa za barabarani kwa ufanisi huwatendea watumiaji kama watoto ambao wanahitaji kuambiwa ni nini kizuri kwao, na kukataa uwezo wao wa kufanya maamuzi yao wenyewe juu ya nini cha kula. Lakini hakuna mtu anayehitaji kuambiwa kwamba kula tu peremende na chokoleti si wazo zuri. Vikundi vya watumiaji vimeishutumu mipango ya watengenezaji wa chakula ya kuweka alama kama majaribio ya kudhoofisha mpango wa taa za trafiki, ili kulinda faida zao. Lakini je, matokeo ya vita vya kutia alama vyakula yana maana sana? Mpango wa taa za barabarani unaopendwa na serikali utafanya kidogo zaidi ya kutukumbusha kile tunachojua tayari - vyakula fulani vitatufanya tuwe wanene tunapokula kupita kiasi na mazoezi ni sehemu muhimu ya mtindo wa maisha wenye afya. Ikiwa vitambulisho vinavyotishia kutokuwa na uwezo wa kufanya kazi, kansa ya mapafu na kifo polepole, chenye uchungu haviwezi kuwazuia watu kuacha kuvuta sigara, basi kuna matumaini gani kwamba ujumbe mdogo zaidi uliofichwa nyuma ya kifuniko cha chokoleti utabadilisha tabia za taifa? Hatua ya kuweka maonyo ya afya kwenye chokoleti huonekana kama mzaha kidogo. "Mmoja wa wauzaji wa magazeti, Michael Norton mwenye umri wa miaka 45, alisema: ""Sidhani kama hilo litafanya tofauti yoyote." "Wakati mwingine, watu wanashangaa sana kwa sababu chokoleti ina sukari nyingi, lakini watu wengi huinunua kwa sababu wanaipenda."" - Dorothy Maynard, mzee wa miaka 51 ambaye ni mfanyabiashara wa magazeti." "Hilo ni jambo la kipumbavu, siwezi kuamini! "Wakati huo huo, mfanyakazi wa baraza la bunge aliyestaafu David Gibbon, 63, alisema: ""Ikiwa unakula chokoleti nyingi na haufanyi mazoezi yoyote, utapata mafuta - sio ngumu.""" Nadhani kila mtu anajua hii tayari. "Hatuwezi kuona jinsi kubadilisha wrapper itakavyowazuia watu kula sana, lakini licha ya kutilia shaka kwa ujumla juu ya mipango mpya ya kuashiria, wengine wanaamini kuwa unene ni tatizo linalokua ambalo jamii inahitaji kushughulikia. """ Mteja mmoja wa duka alisema hivi: <unk>Ni muhimu kwamba watu wanahimizwa kufikiri zaidi juu ya lishe yao. "Nadhani watu wanakuwa wanene siku hizi, kwa hivyo nadhani ni jambo zuri. ""Hatutapunguza unene kwa kujaribu kuwalaumu vyakula ambavyo ni sawa kama sehemu ya mtindo wa maisha wenye afya." Labda ni wakati kwamba sisi kuitwa mapumziko katika vita ya vitambulisho vya chakula. Baada ya yote, vitambulisho vya vyakula vinapaswa kuwa nyuma ya kifurushi - si kwenye vichwa vya habari. Chris Pile alifanya kazi kama intern katika spiked. Hakuna paywall. Hakuna michango. Spike ni bure kwa wote. Kwa habari zaidi kuhusu kuchapisha tena yaliyomo, haki ya kujibu au kuomba marekebisho, tafadhali wasiliana na mhariri mkuu, Viv Regan.