Food Labelling Issues

Posted by: looklively

24th Feb 2016 02:21pm

There have been a few stories in the news recently questioning the way food brands are using the health star ratings found on their products. It would seem that some companies are being quite creative when it comes to their labelling. Are you aware of the government’s health star ratings scheme for food? If so, do you think it’s a good idea and should it be mandatory? Do you make purchase decisions based on how high or low a product’s health star rating is? Would you like to see ratings on more products and do you trust food companies to label their products correctly?

Moongold

1st Mar 2016 03:52pm

I'm not convinced having government 'award' stars would be of any help! Most of them don't know what good nutrition is, let alone what may be harmful. I've worked in Parliamentary chambers and have seen the abominable over-indulgent and harmful meals our government representatives gorge themselves on. They're not interested in a TRULY healthy diet: they just eat the top cuts and drink the most expensive wines! I believe it should be mandatory to list all ingredients of all packaged and tinned food on the outside of the packing, and not just a code (which means you need to find a book revealing what the codes refer to!). ' S259', for instance, conveys nothing. When you discover that ice cream actually contains PAINT STRIPPER, for just one example, you begin to realise how vital listing of ingredients becomes. And no, I wouldn't trust the companies or the government to truthfully list ingredients. It's obvious that anyone who stands to profit from sales of food items should not be involved. A strict registration of food contents and penalties for ignoring those requirements should be enforced by an unbiased third party.

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