Front of pack nutrition labelling (Scotland)

Who will this consultation be of most interest to?
Food Business Operators, Food Trade Associations, Consumer Groups, Local Authorities and other Government Departments

What is the subject of this consultation?
Governments across the UK are seeking to bring more consistency to the use of Front of Pack (FoP) nutrition labelling with the objective of providing the best possible information to help consumers make healthier choices. This consultation details current use of FoP in the UK, highlights the new legal framework for FoP in Regulation EU 1169/2011 on the Provision of Food Information to Consumers and reviews recent research into consumer understanding and use of FoP information.

What is the purpose of this consultation?
This consultation sets out the ambitions of Governments across the UK to bring more consistency to the use of FoP nutrition labelling by working with partners to identify a joint way forward and seeks views on how this may be achieved.

The Scottish Government’s Preventing Obesity Route Map encompasses a range of specific actions on energy consumption. It includes actions on food labelling and the consistent use of Front of Pack (FoP) nutrition labelling across food products and retailers to minimise consumer confusion.

FSA in Scotland supports delivery of the Route Map and has a commitment under our Strategic Plan to provide consumers with the information and understanding they need to make informed choices about where and what they eat. In 2010, following independent consumer research and public consultation the FSA Board recommended a FoP label which included three interpretative elements.

This is an open, UK-wide consultation which does not promote any one scheme for FoP labelling. Our future approach to achieving consistency of FoP will have to take into account the new legal framework for the Provision of Food Information to Consumers and research into consumers’ understanding and use of FoP information.

Maximising the effectiveness of FoP labelling by building on the current high level of voluntary use across the UK is an important element in achieving this. Research indicates that consistency of expression and use across as many food products as possible would maximise the impact of FoP labelling and improve consumers’ ability to choose healthier foods .

Scottish Ministers are ambitious in their desire for action to address diet-related public health challenges in Scotland and have asked FSA in Scotland to work with the other UK administrations on a joint consultation. FSA in Scotland is seeking your views as Scottish stakeholders and as part of this UK-wide consultation on future Front of Pack nutrition labelling. The ultimate aim is to bring more consistency to the FoP information presented across the UK.

The provision of clear, consistent information to underpin informed, healthy dietary choices is a key strand in the approaches being taken by all four Governments in the UK to tackle the prevention of obesity. Your responses to the questions set out in this consultation will inform discussions on how the shared objective of increasing consumer awareness, understanding and use of FoP nutrition labelling can best be achieved.

This consultation has been prepared in accordance with the HM Government Code of Practice on Consultation, which states that a consultation must follow better regulation best practice, including carrying out an Impact Assessment (Regulatory Impact Assessment in Scotland). The assessment is included in the consultation documents.

We are interested in what you thought of this consultation and would therefore welcome your general feedback on both the consultation package and overall consultation process. If you would like to assist us to improve the quality of future consultations, please feel free to share your thoughts with us by using the consultation feedback questionnaire.

In accordance with the FSA principle of openness we shall keep a copy of the completed consultation and responses, to be made available to the public on request. The FSA will publish a summary of responses, which may include personal data, such as your full name. Disclosure of any other personal data would be made only upon request for the full consultation responses. If you do not want this information to be released, please complete and return the Publication of Personal Data Form. Return of this form does not mean that we will treat your response to the consultation as confidential, just your personal data.

Within three months of a consultation ending we aim to publish a summary of responses received and provide a link to it from this page.

If, after three months, the summary is still not showing, please contact the person who was responsible for the original consultation. Alternatively, you can contact the FSA Consultation Co-ordinator by email: consultationcoordinator@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk