British food manufacturers are facing off with new labels intended to assist Britons in making savvy food choices in the market.
In this corner, weraring the union jack shorts and a traffic light cape is the government sponsored Food Standards Agency.
In the far corner is an association of food manufacturers using labels based on the government's guidelines for daily amounts.
What the labels look like
GDA labels
Traffic Lights
Both sets of labels will give you the information you need to make a choice. It pretty much comes down to personal preference as to which is "better". The "traffic-light" styles give you a quick and easy graphic to make your decision quickly, but you'll still have to look at the full label to get the most information. IMHO the traffic light system, while giving you less information, is good for people who need to monitor a specific nutrient such as fat levels or sodium levels.
GDA labelling shows percentages of guideline daily amounts per serving, which is great if you're in the minority of people who the guidelines are directed at. If you're a man with a limit of 95g fat and there is 4.1g of fat per serving, the packet will tell you that you will "spend" 5% of your fat for the day on a serving. Well, what if you eat more than one serving? What if you're a female with a limit of 75g fat per day? That same one serving will cost you ladies approximately 6% of your fat intake. Not such a big difference? Let's say, realistically, that one package holds 3 servings of food, and you eat the whole thing. The man has now eaten 13% of his fat for the day from that packet of food, and the woman has eaten nearly 18%. These differences do add up. I'm less of a fan of the GDA labelling, it has the same flaws as the US food lables.
Truth is, though, I don't have a better solution. I've sat around many a literal and figurative campfire with some of the biggest names in nutrition and food policy and discussed the food labelling conundrum. The issue is that there is, in truth, no one single good guideline for every person, man or woman, child, adult or elderly, pregnant or post-menopausal, athelte or couch potato. I know it's frustrating for the lay public to try to keep up with what to eat, it's frustrating for us too.
My best advice, eat a well-balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. Meat, poultry and fish are all fine, as long as your Dr. hasn't advised otherwise--try to make most of that protein lean. Try to eat whole fresh (or frozen) foods. Eat according to season. Ease off the fries and packaged foods. When you read the food label, look at the ingredient list, and please try to buy only food that you understand what's in it.
Having said all of that, please please please try to enjoy your food. Try not to stress out over the choices to the extent that you make eating a chore. Make those changes gradually. Soon you'll be eating better and it won't have hurt a bit. I promise.
Want to eat well? Download this .pdf eating well guide from Marks and Spencer.