Introduced in 2006 as a voluntary initiative, Daily Intake Guide (DIG) nutrition labels now appear on over 7,200 food products on Australian supermarket shelves.
A recent statement from the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) states that an audit conducted in May 2013 found that adoption of the DIG labels has increased by over 60 percent since 2011, gaining wide acceptance across all major categories.
The DIG initiative provides consumers with an easy to read front of pack nutrition label which is designed to promote a healthy, balanced diet. The labels show the amount of energy (kilojoules), fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt in a standard portion of the food and how that translates to average daily intake.
AFGC CEO Gary Dawson, says that the widespread adoption of the DIG labels over the past two years represents a major investment by food companies and retailers in providing transparent information on nutritional content.
“To have the DIG now on more than 7,200 products represents an investment conservatively estimated at around $72 million in changing food packaging to improve nutritional information,” said Dawson.
“With more and more food products featuring DIG front-of-pack labels, it’s an easy way for people and families to formulate a daily eating plan according to their individual needs and activity levels.”
Dawson says that industry in continuing to work with Government and other stakeholders to develop a uniform nutrition labelling system, however the wide acceptance of the DIG shows that it should remain as a foundation informative element on labels.
“Extensive international scientific literature has demonstrated that informative elements such as DIG are an essential part of any effective front-of-pack labelling scheme to enable consumers to identify healthier choices,” he Dawson.