Much as been written recently about the various nutritional
labelling schemes that manufacturers
are using, and the debate looks likely for some time.

There are two main approaches being used. Firstly, there is the Guideline Daily
Amount (GDA) scheme, which many major food manufacturers are putting on pack -
Nestle, Kraft and Kellogg's included.

These tell the customer the amount of fat, salt, calories and sugar in a typical
serving, together with a percentage figure of their GDS.

The second scheme is the Food Standards Agency's traffic light scheme. This
gives information on the amount of fat, salt, calories and sugar per 100g, as
well as a red, amber or green colour based on whether this is considered high,
medium or low.

The traffic light scheme was the option was trialled at Tesco and decided not to
use. At first glance, when they saw the scheme on one product, customers liked
it - they found it simple.

CUSTOMER CONFUSION

However, once they saw the system on more products they changed their mind. They
found the scheme too simplistic and not helpful in differentiating between
similar products.

A full-fat biscuit, for example, gets four out of five red lights, while a half
fat biscuit also gets four out of five red lights. The "per 100g" measurement
was confusing - customers have little appreciation of what 100g looks like.

The red colour was also difficult to understand: customers thought it meant
"stop" or "don't eat", whereas it is supposed to mean "eat in moderation".

Once of the fundamental ideas behind nutritional labelling is to help customers
make healthy choices. But if a reduced fat product appears the same as a full
fat product, customers are unlikely to make the right choice.

At Tesco, they have chosen to implement the GDA scheme for one simple reason -
it's better for customers. It provides information in a simple, upfront way and
helps them make informed choices.

There is no hiding that some products are high in fat, sugar or calories and
this information will be clearly displayed on the front of the pack.

Tesco have stated that they have made a commitment to label all Tesco branded
food with GDA by the end of the year.