Lord DE CLIFFORDasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether their attention has been drawn to the article in the Magazine Woman of 8th March, 1980 relating to the prices of packaged and tinned foods where the low calorie content of these foods is offered as an inducement for sale, compared to the equivalent prices, weight and calorie content on normal sale; whether they would agree that a case exists for an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading; and whether in view of the medical and public interest in health affected by these facts regulations should not be made requiring manufacturers of packaged and tinned foods to state the calorific value of the foods contained in the package or tin.
The MINISTER of STATE, MINISTRY of AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES and FOOD (Earl Ferrers)The Food Standards Committee, which is an independent body of experts who advise Ministers on matters relating to the composition and the labelling of food, have considered these issues among others. The Committee's Second Report on Claims and Misleading Descriptions, which was published on 10th March, includes an examination of the current legal position in relation to claims that foods can aid weight control, and it makes recommendations for more stringent regulation of these claims. All interested parties have been invited to comment on the report, and the Government will decide whether action is needed after receiving and considering those comments.