Australia’s major supermarket chains have shown their support for a simpler food labelling initiative, agreeing to add the new Daily Intake Guide labels to their product lines, and to provide supporting information in their stores.
Woolworths, Coles, Franklins and Aldi have all agreed to take part in the initiative.
Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA) CEO, Margy Osmond, said the industry had reached a consensus, and the result would be clearer information for consumers on the food they eat.
“The current information panel (on the back of food cans, packets and boxes) can be confusing for some people,” Osmond said.
“The Daily Intake Guide makes it easier for consumers to interpret this information to meet their own needs.
“Our members are aiming to apply this labelling across a wide range of food and beverages products available in the supermarket,” she said.
The front-of-pack labels show how much energy, fat, sugar and sodium is contained in a single serving.
It also provides a percentage showing how much the serve would contribute to a person’s recommend daily intake.
The complete roll-out of the new labelling initiative is expected to take up to two years.