New food labelling system ‘good for oral health’

New food labelling system ‘good for oral health'

New consistent front-of-pack labelling on food products has been welcomed by the British Dental Health Foundation who says the system will help to improve oral health in the UK.

Announced today (19 June) by Public Health Minister Anna Soubry, the new label makes it easier for people to make healthy choices about the food they eat. A clear traffic light-coding system and nutritional information will show how much fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar, and calories are in food products and give people the chance to compare like-for-like foods at a glance.

MARS UK, Nestle UK, PepsiCo UK, and Premier Foods have announced that they will join all the major retailers – including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, ASDA, Morrisons, the Co-operative and Waitrose – in using the consistent label on their products. Manufacturer McCain Foods – which already uses front of pack – will be using the consistent label too.

Obesity and poor diet cost the NHS billions of pounds every year. Poor diet continues to be a significant factor behind the level of poor oral health in the UK. By introducing a clear traffic light colour system, Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter OBE, believes there could be a significant impact on future levels of oral health.

Dr Carter said: “Greater consistency in front of pack food labelling across the UK could have a considerably beneficial impact on the public. We would welcome a recommendation for all food companies to consistently apply a scheme including traffic light colours, as recommended by the FSA.

“For many years dentists have criticised the large amounts of sugars in many foods where it they are often added as a cheap bulking agent. From the point of view of oral health, it is the frequency of sugar consumption, rather than quantity that is the main concern as we have moved from three square meals a day to 7-10 snack attacks, many of which will contain sugar.

“Looking for hidden sugars often listed as sucrose, maltose, glucose, and fructose can help the public cut down on how often they have sugary foods and drinks and help with both dental health and obesity. The Foundation believes this traffic light system will give consumers the information they need to make fully informed choices on the types of foods and drinks they buy.

“We might not see an immediate upturn in levels of oral health, but it will have a potentially large impact in the future.”