Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs)
GDAs on more food products
Around 91 manufacturers (pdf, 37kb) (March 2010) and retailers have embraced the concept
of
front-of-pack nutrition labelling based on Guideline Daily Amounts and this
information
is
appearing on more than 20,000 product lines.
Manufacturers are committed to providing consumers with clearer food labelling
that will help them make healthier choices, which is why GDAs are proving so
popular. The scheme provides information on the levels of calories, sugars,
fat,
saturates and salt contained in a suggested portion and, importantly, shows
what
proportion of the Guideline Daily Amount this is.
Readers of The Mirror Give Thumbs Up to GDA Labelling
Research carried out by The Mirror newspaper among its readers shows that
90% are aware of GDA labels and 85%
find them easy to understand.
Encouragingly, 62% say they have used the GDA labels. They use them to check
what's inside the packs they are buying; to pick products with the lowest
amount
of
a specific nutrient; or to compare between two products in the same
category.
The
research also shows that consumers use the GDA information to
understand
how
healthy a product is and to help them choose products that make up
a
balanced
diet.
There are now 86 manufacturers and retailers in the UK who are displaying
visually consistent GDA labels on the front of more than 20,000 product lines,
making
it the most widely adopted scheme in the market.
Detailed information:
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Industry's Consumer Campaign
In January 2007, the food and drink industry united to launch the What's Inside
Guide as part of a consumer education campaign to support the introduction of
GDA labelling on the front of packs.
GDA labelling is also being adopted by manufacturers and retailers across Europe.
10 years of GDA Labelling
Although the concept has been capturing headlines throughout 2007, GDAs are not
new. In fact, they were first developed in 1998, following collaboration
between
the UK Government, consumer organisations and the food industry, overseen by
the
IGD, as a guide to how much energy (calories) and key nutrients are needed for a balanced
diet. They have been appearing on the back of food packs ever since.
GDAs in Europe
GDA labelling is also being adopted by manufacturers and retailers across Europe.
In 2008, EUFIC (the European Food Information Council) carried out some research
on front-of-pack labelling. EUFIC questioned over 17,000 people in six EU
countries (including the UK), both in supermarkets and at home and found that a
majority of consumers in all six countries were able to use GDAs to identify
the
healthier product.
In 2009, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published its scientific
opinion on the review of labelling reference intake values for energy, fat,
saturated fat, carbohydrates, sugars and salt. Their conclusions back the GDA
values
currently used by the food industry
More Information
For further information please contact the GDA press office on 020 7820 974
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Last reviewed: 02 Mar 2010