Nutrition labels on the front of food packaging should be mandatory in the UK, according to a consumer campaigner.
Which? He called on the Government to make the change amid what he described as an “obesity crisis”.
A “better approach” is needed to help people make healthier choices, he said.
This comes after research by the group found that shoppers prefer traffic light labelling, although they said it could be improved with more prominent placement and larger size.
Traffic light labeling on food packaging was introduced in 2013 and uses green (low), amber (medium) and red (high) colors to display fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt content, as well as calories.
The system is not mandatory in the UK, although major manufacturers and retailers use it voluntarily.
However, according to Which? the system is used inconsistently.
He claims that some stores do not include traffic light labels or provide them without color coding.
Investigate for which one? Captured information through the mobile phones of more than 500 shoppers to find out how the traffic light system works for customers.
A third (33%) said the nutrition label was the first thing they looked at on the front of a package.
People most used the traffic light system when choosing snacks (56%), dairy products (33%) and breakfast cereals (27%).
Almost half (47%) said they found this labeling easy to understand.
In the focus groups, the traffic light system was the preferred option for food labeling, although suggestions for improvement included making it more prominent and larger.
Which? He said people also asked for the scheme to be easier to understand, such as making the recommended serving size on some products more realistic and consistent.
The consumer advocate is now calling on the Government to introduce a mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labeling system.
He said this could leverage the existing traffic light system to make it work better for shoppers by reinforcing consistency, making it more prominent and removing aspects that people might find confusing.
Sue Davies, head of food policy at Which?, said: “The UK is in the midst of an obesity crisis and it is clear that a better focus on front-of-pack labeling is needed to help shoppers make healthier choices.
“Which? is calling on the Government to ensure that all manufacturers and retailers use front-of-pack nutrition labelling, ideally making it mandatory.
“Our research shows that people still prefer traffic light nutrition labelling, but that the current scheme needs an update to make it clearer, simpler and work better for consumers.
“The new system should be backed by effective enforcement and oversight by the Scottish Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Agency, so that shoppers have full confidence in their food labels.”
In 2022, around 64% of adults in England were estimated to be overweight or living with obesity.
In November it was also revealed that one in 10 first-year primary school children in England is obese, the highest number recorded outside of the pandemic.
It is estimated that obesity costs the NHS more than £11 billion each year.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “This Government is introducing a modernized food nutrient scoring system to reduce obesity.
“It is just one element of the aggressive measures we are taking to address the obesity crisis as part of our Ten-Year Health Plan, which will shift the focus from the disease to prevention.
“We are also restricting junk food advertising on TV and online, limiting volume price promotions on less healthy foods and introducing mandatory reporting on sales of healthy foods.”
Andrea Martinez-Inhausti, deputy director of food at the British Retail Consortium, said: “Retailers have led the way in nutrition labelling, consistently providing advice on healthy living.
“Whether through the traffic light system or other measures, the industry is fully committed to helping improve the health of its customers and is constantly looking for what works best for them.”
