There is a new labelling system on food. It tells you the levels of sugars, fat, saturated fat and salt. Red means high, amber means medium and green means low.
Colour coded front-of-pack food labels can help you make healthier food choices when you are out shopping.
The Traffic Light labelling system is recommended by the government's Food Standards Agency (FSA).
Traffic Light labels have been adopted by a number of major food manufacturers and retailers including Waitrose, Sainsbury's, the Co-op and Marks & Spencer.
Helping You Make Healthier Choices
Labelling complex foods such as ready meals, pies and pizzas, with clear and honest nutritional information on the front of packs is an important step in helping to improve the nation’s diet.
The red, amber and green colour coding used in the traffic light system provides easy-to-understand advice on foods that have high, medium and low amounts of saturated fats, sugars and salt.
Go to the FSA Eatwell website to find out more about the new labels:
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What do the traffic light colours mean?
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How do traffic light colours fit into a healthy diet?
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What do the different traffic lights look like?
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Which foods have traffic light colours on them?
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How can I get more nutritional information?
Look for the Labels
Eatwell has example pictures of pack designs from major food manufacturers and retailers. Although the designs vary, the red, amber or green lights mean exactly the same thing on all the labels.
There is also information about the labels on the Waitrose and Sainsbury's websites. Sainsbury's use a circular design for their traffic light labels, which they call the Wheel of Health.
Manufacturers using the labels include McCain and The New Covent Garden Food Co.
The traffic light colours will make it easier for you to compare products at a glance. You might be surprised how much difference there can be between similar products.
Awareness Campaign
From January 2007 the FSA is running a major awareness campaign to promote the new labels. Watch out for TV, press and magazine adverts and posters outside supermarkets.
You can view the series of TV adverts online on the FSA website. For more information see the press release.
