Front of pack nutrition labelling

31 Jul 2020

The Department of Heath and Social Care is seeking views on the ‘traffic light’ front-of-pack nutrition label (FOPNL) scheme.

In the green paper Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s, the government committed to consult on the UK’s FOPNL. There was also a commitment to explore FOPNL in the childhood obesity plan.

This consultation asks for views and evidence on:

• the UK government’s and devolved administrations’ recommended FOPNL scheme, the ‘multiple traffic light label’;
• new international examples, specifically the ‘nutri-score’ label and ‘Chile’s health warning label’ which have gained prominence in recent years;
• whether FOPNL should reflect the latest dietary advice on sugar and fibre.

Currently European Union (EU) Regulation 1169/2011sets out the requirements on presenting Food Information to Consumers (EU FIC), including voluntary FOPNL. For example, the EU FIC sets out the criteria for the type and quantity of nutrients to be displayed. In May 2020, as part of the ‘Farm to Fork Strategy’ , the EU Commission announced its intention to mandate a form of FOPNL that is yet to be confirmed.

The EU FIC will continue to apply in the UK until the end of the transition period. After the end of the transition period the UK Government and Devolved Administrations will seek to build on the success of FOPNL in the UK. This consultation and wider research seek to ensure that upon the end of the transition period the UK Government and Devolved Administrations are appropriately informed to adapt future regulation in a way that best works for the UK population and is in line with future trade ambitions.

For more information see the consultation document. The consultation closes on 21 October 2020.