Green light for new colour-coded food labelling system

The landmark labelling system will give shoppers clear information on the content of the food.

It will include information on guideline daily amounts, be colour coded and use the words “high” “medium” or “low” to inform people about how much fat, saturated fat, salt, sugar and calories are in food products.

Health Minister Anna Soubry said: “By having a consistent system we will all be able to see at a glance what is in our food. This will help us all choose healthier options and control our calorie intake.

“Obesity and poor diet cost the NHS billions of pounds every year. Making small changes to our diet can have a big impact on our health and could stop us getting serious illnesses such as heart disease later in life.”

The new label is expected to be in use by next summer.

Meanwhile, Yorkshire business Taylors of Harrogate has been singled out by International Development Secretary Justine Greening for its work with farmers in Africa to deliver ethically-traded tea to international markets. She said the Government’s Food Retail Industry Challenge Fund grants helped African farmers by bringing its poorest communities together with a range of businesses, with the aim of breaking their dependence on long-term aid.

The Yorkshire firm has completed a project with 10,000 farmers in Rwanda to improve the quality of tea being produced and the lives of those producing it.

Its sustainability manager, Simon Hotchkin, said: “We have never worked at such a scale in a single country before and have seen some fabulous results.

“There has been a tangible 
and sustained increase in the quality of tea available on the market and volumes of tea 
from Rwanda purchased by Taylors of Harrogate have doubled as a direct result of project activities.”