New research from Nestlé Cereals has found that 34% of consumers in the UK do not know what the traffic light front-of-pack nutritional labelling system means. This is despite 76% saying they look at the system when choosing what to eat, with 51% confirming it influences what they purchase.
When asked if they knew what the front-of-pack nutritional traffic light labelling system means, 11% said they were not even aware of its existence. And of those who are aware of the system, Nestlé found there remains significant misunderstanding around what the colours in the system actually mean.
When it comes to the different colour meanings, 34% believe that a green label means a product is high in a nutrient, yet 40% think it shows the product is low in a nutrient and therefore the healthier choice – highlighting the confusion some people have over the system.
The findings come as Nestlé Cereals launches its ‘no reds’ campaign – an advertising campaign featuring an imagined ‘World’s Widest Variety Pack’ to raise awareness of the fact that 18 products in its portfolio contain no red traffic lights. To help give consumers more clarity on the nutritional labelling system, the business has also updated its website with a section explaining how the traffic light system works and will be adding an arrow to the 18 ‘no reds’ cereals to signpost where the front-of-pack label is.
“Despite the importance of the nutritional front-of-pack traffic light labelling system, it is very concerning that our research has found many consumers do not know how to interpret the labels and some are not even aware of the labelling system’s existence,” said Toby Baker, Marketing Director UK at Nestlé Cereals.
“At Nestlé Cereals, we are committed to improving the nutritional profile of our cereals and are proud of the fact that 18 products in our portfolio have no red traffic lights meaning consumers can be reassured they are choosing a breakfast option that is not classified as ‘high’ in fat, saturates, sugars or salt. That’s why we’ve launched our ‘no reds’ campaign – creating our imagined World’s Widest Variety Pack so that consumers can see exactly which of our products contain no red traffic lights. We’ll also be adding an arrow to signpost where to find the front-of-pack label on our 18 ‘no reds’ products and have updated our website with a section explaining the nutritional traffic light labelling system to help our consumers make informed, confident dietary choices.”
