Coca-Cola, Mars, Mondelez, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever will add nutrition logos modelled on the UK’s traffic light label to their European portfolios. However, critics have slammed the use of portion size as a reference.
In an environment where large portion sizes rule, allowing consumers more control over their portion selection could moderate the effects on energy intake, says a new study.
Simply reducing portion sizes is not an easy solution to reducing energy intakes as results from laboratory based experiments do not necessarily reflect what happens in the real world, according to a new review.
People tend to choose larger portions of foods when they are marketed as ‘healthy’, suggests new research led by a team from the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland.
By Hannah Arnold, nutrition and scientific affairs executive, IGD
Many food companies are promoting smaller portions and reducing the size of existing products as part of a plan to reduce overall calorie intake – but is this the most effective approach?
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has confirmed its earlier opinion that 400g is an appropriate size for a large portion of shellfish, for marine biotoxins not to pose a risk to human health.
Consumers do not trust portion sizes given on food packages and buy extra to ensure they have enough to eat, finds IGD research has found; industry needs to communicate better the basis of portion sizes.
Key findings of a new survey from the Department of Health in the
UK reveal that the government and the food industry still have a
long way to go before the UK population has registered the
five-a-day message.
