For many years, käfight Verbraucherschübackers für a law for the colour coding of foods. But lobbyists and politicians are resisting
Help in the supermarket: A Nährwert traffic köcould the selection of healthy food easier
It was up to Sarah Häuser, würde shopping look like this: When walking through the supermarket wäit is not re more nöto take tig, the products from the shelves, in the small print something üabout the sugar, fat or salt content. Instead, wüauthorities jump to the consumer on the front of the packaging is colored dots in the eye.
Grün für food with a little sugar, salt and gesättigten Fettsäuren. Yellow für moderate quantities of these unhealthy ingredients. And Red, if very much of it is in the product. Never again müsomeone welded the Rürear of Müslip lakes study, the sugar content prüfen. Or to find the home that the finished pizza was a salty failure. "I köcould at a glance how healthy the contents of my shopping cart ist", the spokesperson of the Association Foodwatch, the fü says;r uses the rights of consumers.
Many wümore orientation want
With this request, Sarah is Häuser not alone. A repräsentative survey conducted by the consumer Federation shows that: 78 percent of German wüwould such a marking begrüßen. Nevertheless, a Nä is;hrwert traffic für food, as it is currently, for example, in GroßBritain, France, and Chile, currently für Germany is not in sight.
Although Verbraucherschübackers for years für a more transparent labelling käfighting, have only a vague Formuformulations in the coalition agreement of the Federal government managed. Julia Klöckner, Federal Minister für Ernäcurrency and Agriculture, introduced at the beginning of their term of office is clear: "The Traffic light labelling only Confusion." Thus, it represents the line of Union.
"The Nährwert traffic würde consumer protection verbessern"
"The color Nährwert-labelling of processed and packaged food wäre real progress für the Verbraucherschutz", contrary to Carolin warrior, officer für Ernämonetary policy at verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband. In studies, the traffic light principle to have particularly verstähourly proven.
And the experience in other Lächange to show that it works: people are less unhealthy food, wä buy;while the corporations have their recipes gesüfigures to collect fewer red points. "Against the Background that our society is increasingly Üthe mountain-weight and diseases such as high blood pressure, Diabetes, or atherosclerosis käwanting, such a move also with us überfä- digit. We need more transparency and orientation für consumers in the supermarket."
Confusion due to the colors befüafraid of this
The food industry is different. "This transparency there is bereits", Manon Struck-Pacyna from the leading Association of the food industry (BLL) says. Schließa Nä within the EU since the end of 2016;hrwerttabelle on the Rüback of packaging is mandatory. "This enthält information on carbohydrates, sugars, total fat content, Fettsäuren, Eiweiß and salt, as well as the calorie content. Objective and factual it is nicht", the BLL spokeswoman says.
She feels the discussion üon the traffic light as ücoated and füafraid of this uncertainty of the consumer. "The colors provide fragwüdesires reviews and köcan be so misguided purchase decisions führen." Light-Getränke about wüauthorities after the traffic light principle "Grün" für the sugar content to get that fish ready meals a "Rot" in terms of fats. The model is so simple für is a complex topic, such as Ernäcurrency?
Many Ädoctors befüthe Nä rworten;hrwert traffic
"For us, it’s not a recommendation to buy, but to verstäsensitive Informationen", Verbraucherschü stresses;tzerin warriors. "We want to put the previous information into a reference, because many consumers have no idea of what quantities of certain substances are of concern."
The many Ä see;doctors. You are worried about the increasing number of patients suffering from chronic diseases. "In the development of Diabetes, obesity and heart disease, the Ernä plays;introduction a crucial role, and studies show that many foods be a problem to health sind", Professor Martin Wabitsch from the Universitä says;clinic of Ulm.
Even genes, lack of exercise, education and lifestyle play a role, but the connection between health and Ernäintroduction let’s not dismiss it out of Hand. The theme makes it wütend: "It is irresponsible, how aggressively the industry für unhealthy food advertises and transparent labelling is denied."
Open letter to the Chancellor
A Bü the;understanding from 15 Ärzteverbä, health insurance and Verbraucherschützern, the turned the beginning of may in an open letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Das Concerns: the fight against unhealthy Ernäcurrency. The claims: a traffic-light labelling and a tax on Sugar, the Beschrärestriction of food advertising für children and gesüother Standards für the meals in schools and day care centers.
"I think it etwas" does;, sagt Warrior. In order to create a uniform System, however, the policy on the train. While market giants such as Nestlé or Unilever in the meantime, a traffic light eingeführt. However, the Proproblem: "The groups relate the information to unrealistic Portionsgrößen, and their products healthy – even in the case of Nutella, which comprises almost 90 per cent from sugar and fat, does not show the industrial light rot", Sarah Hä says;user of food watch.
Traffic light after franzöthe laws of model
Better want to make it to Danone in the future. The group kündigte künewly, its products in Germany in 2019, with a traffic light to franzöto provide the laws model and the data unit to 100 grams. A step in the right direction, Häuser. "Now we just need the legal framework, so that everybody was on Board."
If that happens, it will show in the coming year. Until the summer of 2019, the EU Commission investigated and assessed all existing labelling systems, then the issue will be discussed. Well möpossible that the traffic light then Grün jumps.
You can also read:
List: calorie content of 100 popular foods
The foods are divided into traffic light colours. So you can see immediately what kind of food is particularly rich in calories