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Date: EMBARGOED TO 00:01am Monday 5 September 2011
Contact: Shona Clarke – (03) 9635 5207/ 0415 992 565
Nine in ten consumers give traffic
light labels green light
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New research reveals 87% of grocery buyers in favour of traffic light
labelling
Obesity Policy Coalition launches traffic light labelling app and advocacy
campaign
Public health experts and consumers give feedback on Blewett labelling
review at roundtable discussion
Research released today by the Obesity Policy Coalition (OPC) reveals Australian
grocery buyers are overwhelmingly (87%) in favour of clearer nutrition labels on
packaged food in the form of traffic light ratings.
Jane Martin, senior policy advisor for the OPC, said consumers were sick of
confusing and potentially misleading nutrition claims, like ‘fat-free’ on sugar-laden
products, and had a right to clear information so they could make an informed choice
about the foods they buy.
“Our research shows consumers want to know how much salt, sugar, saturated fat
and total fat, is in the products they buy. Traffic light labels provide this information at
a glance, and help shoppers sort the fat from the fiction,” Ms Martin said.
Traffic light labelling has the support of former Federal Health Minister Dr Neal
Blewett. Dr Blewett chaired an expert group who conducted an independent review
of food labelling law and policy in 2010. Their report, Labelling Logic, recommends
placing front-of-pack traffic light labels on packaged food to help consumers make
healthier choices.
To demonstrate how traffic light labels could work, the OPC has developed an
application (“app”) for smart phones and tablets - the Traffic Light Food Tracker.
The app gives a traffic light rating of high - red, medium - amber or low - green for
the amount of sodium, sugars, total fat and saturated fat per 100g in packaged
foods.
The OPC encourages people to download the app from either the Apple Appstore or
Android marketplace and to support clearer food labelling by emailing their state
health minister, all of whom are members of the ministerial council tasked with
reviewing the recommendations in Dr Blewett’s Labelling Logic report. Emails can be
sent through the OPC’s website: www.opc.org.au.
The launch today takes place ahead of the second Public Health and Consumer
roundtable discussion, during which stakeholders are invited to give their response
to the recommendations.
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“We hope that members of the Council will take into account both the strong public
support and the recommendations in Dr Blewett’s report, and decide to make traffic
light labelling mandatory on all packaged food,” Ms Martin said.
Michelle Winchester, a parent of three and advocate for The Parents’ Jury, said
clearer food labelling would help parents cut through marketing hype and understand
and compare the nutrition quality of foods
“As a parent I know how easy is to be swayed by nutrition claims, particularly on
foods marketed towards children. I want to be able to easily identify the nutritional
content of the food I buy, in order to make the best choices for me and my family.
“Traffic light labels would show me this information at a glance. It would also help
me teach my children to cut through the packaging hype and make healthier choices
themselves!”
Media launch
Date: Monday 5 September, 2011
Time: 10:30am – presentations will last approx. 30 mins
Venue: Main conference room, Cancer Council Victoria, 100 Drummond St, Carlton
What:
 New research – reveals overwhelming support for traffic light labelling plus the
information consumers want about the products they buy
 Launch of Australia's first mobile app to demonstrate the ease and simplicity of traffic
light labelling
 Launch of the Obesity Policy Coalition’s advocacy campaign to make traffic light labelling
mandatory on all packaged food products in Australia
 Eye candy:
o a visual display of packaged food products featuring traffic light labels to reveal
how these would look on supermarket shelves
Spokespeople:
 Jane Martin, senior policy advisor, Obesity Policy Coalition
 Dr Lorraine Baker, GP and Board Member for the Australian Medical Association
 Prof. Boyd Swinburn - World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Obesity
Prevention at Deakin University
 Michelle Winchester, parent of three and member of the Parents Jury.
About the Obesity Policy Coalition:
The Obesity Policy Coalition is a group of leading public health agencies who are concerned
about the escalating levels of overweight and obesity, particularly in children.
The Obesity Policy Coalition partners include Diabetes Australia Victoria, The Cancer Council
Victoria, Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth) and the World Health
Organization Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention at Deakin University.