Traffic light labelling debuts on indulgent treats

Graham’s Bakery in Northern Ireland has become the first independent bakery in the UK to implement the traffic light labelling scheme.

While major supermarket chains, such as Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Asda, have been using the labelling scheme on all their own brands, including bakery products, for some time now, manufacturers that produce solely indulgent products have up to now opted against this type of labelling.

Traffic light labelling displays the amount of fat, sugar and salt present in the product on the front of the pack, and highlights this with red, green and amber colour codes depending on whether the content is high, medium or low.

It is the labelling method supported by the UK Food Standard’s Agency (FSA) as it believes it to be the clearest, simplest and quickest way to communicate to consumers about nutritional content.

“It was only intended for packaged goods originally, as consumers found it difficult to know exactly what went into these products” explained Shaun Whelan, spokesperson for the FSA.

However, now that manufacturers are increasingly showing keen efforts to help their customers follow a balanced diet, the labelling scheme has spread more across the industry.

Over 300m adults are obese worldwide, representing a three-fold increase since the 1980s, according to latest statistics from the World Health Organization and the International Obesity Task Force. In 2006, 30 per cent of European children were estimated to be overweight.

Graham’s Bakery

Graham’s is a small family-run cakes and confectionery manufacturer that provides to retailers. From September 1, it will introduce the traffic light labelling scheme to its Indulge in Graham’s bakery range.

Esther Anderson, managing director for Graham’s, told BakeryandSnacks.com: “Consumers want to know about the fat and sugar content of what they are eating. We are aware that the labels for our products are mostly red and amber but we are emphasising the fact that our products are on the whole indulgent treats and not eaten with every meal. Everyone needs a treat every now and then.”

Additionally, the move helps the company differentiate itself from other similar manufacturers. The bakery is also always seeking ways to cut saturated fats and include whole grains into its products, said Anderson.

Graham’s has valued its marketing schemes that set it aside from other Irish bakeries, and says it is largely down to such marketing campaigns and innovative packaging that sales have grown by approximately 35 per cent approx in the past year. Turnover for the company is currently £2.2m.

Product labelling

There are currently three labelling schemes operating in the UK: traffic light labelling, Guidance Daily Amount (GDA) and a hybrid of the two.

The labelling schemes are currently only voluntary, though a Food and Drink Federation survey conducted at the end of 2006 found £33bn worth of food and drinks products voluntarily had full nutrition information on the back of their packs.

The labelling issue is also being discussed at a European level. A draft labelling legislation was published at the end of January this year, and is currently working its way through European Council and the Parliament procedures.

It supported a front-of-pack scheme similar to the GDA format, but also left the way open for national schemes to co-exist.

The FSA is currently carrying out an extensive study to assess consumers’ reactions to traffic light labelling and the success of the scheme compared to other labelling formats. Should the traffic light come out on top, Whelan said the FSA will continue to push for this scheme in the UK, even if another scheme is adopted at a European level.