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Global Update on Nutrition Labelling - The European Food ...

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EUFIC’s <str<strong>on</strong>g>Global</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Update</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> Nutriti<strong>on</strong> <strong>Labelling</strong> - January 2012<br />

Further c<strong>on</strong>sumer research seems to be needed in particular <strong>on</strong> the<br />

following questi<strong>on</strong>s:<br />

Do c<strong>on</strong>sumers make l<strong>on</strong>g-term healthier food choices as a<br />

result of having used nutriti<strong>on</strong> informati<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> food<br />

packaging? Some research has shown that c<strong>on</strong>sumers understand and know<br />

how to use accurately various nutriti<strong>on</strong> labels should they choose to do so, and<br />

studies in Europe have shown no dem<strong>on</strong>strable short-term effect <strong>on</strong> purchasing<br />

decisi<strong>on</strong>s. Little is known about whether c<strong>on</strong>sumers make l<strong>on</strong>g-term healthier<br />

food choices as a result of having used nutriti<strong>on</strong> informati<strong>on</strong>. If healthier food<br />

choices cannot be traced to nutriti<strong>on</strong> informati<strong>on</strong>, other factors that motivate<br />

healthier food choices should be identified.<br />

To what extent do nutriti<strong>on</strong> labelling schemes have to be<br />

standardised to help c<strong>on</strong>sumers cultivate healthy eating<br />

habits? Research by FLABEL and EUFIC in Europe and by the Australian Heart<br />

Foundati<strong>on</strong> in Australia suggests that different labelling schemes can be equally<br />

effective in helping c<strong>on</strong>sumers identify healthy opti<strong>on</strong>s, yet many groups<br />

discussed in this report assert that standardised nutriti<strong>on</strong> labels are imperative. A<br />

future study <strong>on</strong> the impact of the EU regulati<strong>on</strong> and c<strong>on</strong>sumer testing of the<br />

United States FDA’s plans to standardise the nutriti<strong>on</strong>al criteria <strong>on</strong> which FOP<br />

nutriti<strong>on</strong> labelling must be based would be insightful.<br />

How can c<strong>on</strong>sumers best be helped to make good use of<br />

nutriti<strong>on</strong> labels to make better food choices? Research suggests<br />

that good use of nutriti<strong>on</strong> labels is related to better nutriti<strong>on</strong> knowledge, and that<br />

overall use is linked to health motivati<strong>on</strong>. How can c<strong>on</strong>sumers be motivated to<br />

eat more healthily? What awareness raising and educati<strong>on</strong> initiatives are most<br />

effective? Who should be the primary target of which informati<strong>on</strong> and educati<strong>on</strong><br />

initiatives – parents, children, others?<br />

Is nutriti<strong>on</strong> labelling bey<strong>on</strong>d packaged foods useful? <strong>The</strong> menu<br />

labelling debate in the United States is amplifying calls for menu labelling in<br />

Canada and the UK. Further research is needed to fully gauge whether nutriti<strong>on</strong><br />

labelling bey<strong>on</strong>d packaged foods has an impact <strong>on</strong> food choices.<br />

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