Discount retailer Aldi is to introduce traffic-light nutrition labelling on its products in the UK.
Aldi said the decision to include the colour coding is to make it “as easy as possible” for customers to lead a healthy lifestyle.
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Nutritional labelling has long been a topic of fierce debate in the UK, with some manufacturers and retailers backing a GDA system and others favouring “traffic lights” or a combination approach.
Tesco, previously a supporter of the GDA system, last month announced plans to add traffic-light labels to the nutritional information it puts on products.
The GDA approach, where each nutrient is calibrated in terms of the percentage of a recommended daily intake, is a more detailed approach though its opponents suggest that it can confuse consumers.
The traffic lights system has the advantage of clarity and simplicity but is accused by its critics of being a blunt instrument.
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By GlobalDataTony Baines, managing director of buying for Aldi UK, said there is “a growing consensus” that customers want to see colour coding as part of the front of pack (FOP) information.
“We have always made it clear that we are happy to change our FOP labelling but have been awaiting clearer guidelines from Government before implementing any changes,” Baines said. “We are keen to adopt a system that meets with the Government’s recommendations and look forward to the development of their design guidelines which will be valuable in helping us make this change.”
