Traffic-Light Labels
I was surprised to find this article by The Independent on Google News, but it looks like a plan to incorporate a standardized, easy-to-read labeling system on foods in the UK has hit some snags. Called the “traffic light” food labeling system, the national scheme aims to present shoppers with clear nutritional information.
[The Food Standards Agency] confirmed that it was recommending the food industry to put red, amber and green warning signs on processed foods to indicate high, medium or low levels of fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar on ready meals, pizzas, breakfast cereals and sandwiches.
Tesco, one of the major supermarkets in England, has refused to implement the system, as have several other food manufacturers. (As an aside, doesn’t the phrase “food manufacturer” sound odd? Does a baker manufacture bread?)
What I find interesting is that the reason for their refusal lies in something simple, as the Telegraph article points out:
The industry hit back, claiming it had “listened to customers” and that traffic light labels were “confusing”. They “demonised” food because consumers would read a red light as “don’t eat this”.
The food industry has a point. First, complex problems generally can’t be summarized within a simplistic model. As Fabio Sergio was telling us in this last Applied Dreams: “Simplicity, not simplistic” Second, I’d agree with their assessment of the warning label, although I think the information the labels impart is important from the perspective of the shopper. I for one would like to know if I should eat one sandwich instead of another, but of course the companies which manufacture these foods don’t want you to buy something else…
It would seem that the food industry would do well to look at the car industry for examples of how innovation leadership can reap rewards. Of course like many things that’s easy for me to say and much harder to do. But unless we start thinking about making some serious changes to our infrastructure (energy, transport, food, etc.), we’re going to have some problems in the future.