Call for ‘teaspoon labels’ on fizzy drinks questioned
Manufacturers of fizzy drinks need child friendly labels on the front of their products spelling out the sugar content in teaspoons, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.
Representatives of the food and drink industry have questioned the call, however, over fears that teaspoon labelling would further confuse consumers.
The LGA, which represents more than 370 UK councils – with responsibility for public health – says many youngsters and parents are unaware of the high level of sugar in fizzy drinks and such labelling would help to combat tooth decay and child obesity.
Izzi Seccombe, LGA community wellbeing spokesperson, comments, “While we acknowledge that many soft drinks manufacturers are heading in the right direction with sugar reduction, the industry as whole needs to go further, faster and show leadership on the issue.
“In many cases, parents and children are unaware of exactly how much sugar these fizzy drinks contain, which is why we are calling on manufacturers to provide clearer, front of product labelling that shows how much sugar soft drinks have in teaspoons.
“On average it takes just 15 seconds for shoppers to decide on an item, so we need to have a labelling system which provides an instant, at a glance understanding of sugar content.”
However, Tim Rycroft, corporate affairs director at the Food and Drink Federation, believes the move would be ‘inconsistent’ and ‘confusing’.
“If nutrition information were to be included on different foods and drinks in an inconsistent way this would be confusing,” he says. “For instance, if teaspoon labelling for sugars only appeared on carbonated drinks, as LGA proposes, this might lead some consumers to think that other drinks or foods not showing this information do not contain sugars.
“The main practical obstacle to companies adopting teaspoon labelling, however, is that a teaspoon isn’t a consistent unit for measuring nutrient content. We eat nutrients in very different amounts. A teaspoon of salt is nearly all of our maximum daily allowance, whereas a teaspoon of a fat – such as oil – would be a tiny fraction. Even different types of sugars, such as table sugar and honey, are not like for like.”
Gavin Partington, BSDA director general, adds, “Full nutritional labelling, including sugar content, is on pack of all soft drinks so parents can make an informed choice about the products their families are drinking.
“It would be more helpful to consumers if they are able to view the full nutritional content of all food and drink, at restaurants and cafes in particular, to give them a clearer understanding of everything they’re eating and drinking and improve the choices they make.”
