§ Ms AthertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Secretary of State has to replace sugar and carbohydrate labelling of food products with the glycaemic index. [167650]
1614W
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonNutrition labelling rules are agreed at European Union level and there are currently no proposals to introduce requirements to replace sugar and carbohydrate labelling of food products with a declaration of the glycaemic index.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommends that the amount of carbohydrate and sugar present be given as part of the nutrition label of a food product, even when such information is not required by law. Research shows that consumers value this information and would prefer it to be accompanied by an indication as to whether the level is high, medium, or low. The FSA is developing advice on how this might be done.