Benefits of a modified traffic light labelling system for food products

Christine Burggraf, Ina Volkhardt and Toni Meier

No 265812, IAMO Policy Briefs from Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO)

Abstract: The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes melitus, and other diet-related chronic diseases is increasing worldwide due to the global rise in overweight and obesity. Numerous ways to communicate nutritional information to consumers can be considered to effectively improve eating habits, thereby counteracting this development. Traffic light labels have been discussed in Germany as a possible tool to communicate easy-to-understand information about the nutritional value of food products. However, the design of traffic light labels discussed to-date is aimed only at reducing the intake of fat, saturated fatty acids, sugar, and salt. The aspect of consuming adequate amounts of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibre has been neglected so far. Traffic light labelling including information on this aspect of a healthy diet would significantly improve the potential for promoting healthier diets.

Keywords: Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; Health Economics and Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 6
Date: 2017-12-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr and nep-hea
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:iamopb:265812

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.265812

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