The research found that you could be eating three times as much fat and double the amount of salt as the same sandwich bought elsewhere.
Researchers also found that fat and salt content varied widely and inconsistent labelling across stores meant that healthier sandwich options were not always obvious.
For example:
These results show not only is there still huge scope for some retailers to reduce the fat, saturated fat and salt content of their sandwiches, but also the need for traffic light labelling to be applied across the food industry to provide consistency and allow shoppers to make informed choices.
The UK government has launched a consultation on front of pack nutrition labelling. It is essential that it now insists that all food retailers and manufacturers adopt clear, front of pack labelling, including traffic lights, the system found to best enable consumers to easily compare products with simple green, amber, or red colour coding of nutrient levels.
Six out of the 15 retailers we compared currently include the traffic light system, but the rest still do not.
Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd, said: “With obesity levels reaching epidemic proportions, it’s more important than ever that consumers know exactly what they’re eating.
“Many retailers are already using traffic light labelling, but the rest need to catch up and do what works best for consumers.” Source: Which?
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024