- A third of UK consumers (34%) do not know what the nutritional front-of-pack traffic light labelling system means, despite 76% saying they look at the system when choosing something to eat
- Whilst, one in ten (11%) consumers are not even aware of the labelling system
- The latest research from Nestlé Cereals comes as the business launches its ‘no reds’ campaign to raise awareness of the number of products in its portfolio that don’t feature any red traffic lights
New research from Nestlé Cereals has revealed that a third (34%) of UK consumers do not know what the traffic light front-of-pack nutritional labelling system means, despite the fact 76% say they look at the system when choosing something to eat and half (51%) of UK shoppers confirming it influences what they purchase or eat.
In fact, when asked if they knew what the front-of-pack nutritional traffic light labelling system means, one in ten (11%) said they were not even aware of its existence. And, perhaps most concerningly, of those who are aware of the system, there remains significant misunderstanding around what the colours in the system actually mean.
When it comes to the different colour meanings, a third (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 considerable confusion many 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 an impressive 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.
Toby Baker, Marketing Director UK, Nestlé Cereals, said: “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.
“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.”
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