New regulations could help the weary shopper pick healthier options, writes Alison Healy

You are comparing two products in the supermarket. One label announces the product is low in fat so you virtuously choose it. But the label has not told you that the product has three times your daily recommended sugar intake.

Misleading food labels are everywhere, and consumers should be alert to the ploys used by manufacturers to sell their products, according to Dr Anne Nugent, food and nutrition adviser with Superquinn.

She is particularly critical of the way salt content is listed on products. Most manufacturers list sodium content, but sodium must be multiplied by 2.5 to get the salt content. "Let's face it, how many of us go around the supermarket with a calculator?" she asks.

Dr Nugent also believes it should be mandatory to clearly label trans fats. These processed fats prolong shelf life and can be found in foods such as margarines, cakes, biscuits and pies. However, they are usually listed as hydrogenated oils or fats on labels.

According to Prof Basant Puri, consultant at Hammersmith Hospital, London, trans fats are dangerous because they stop the processing of "good" fats such as Omega 3 and 6. He says they are linked to heart disease and stroke and they also alter the way the brain works. In Britain, Sainsburys and Tesco have announced deadlines for removing these fats from their products.

Issues like this show why there has never been a greater necessity for comprehensive labelling legislation, according to food lawyer Raymond O'Rourke. He highlights the fashion for using terms such as "pure", "original", "farmhouse" or "country style".

"What is the use of telling a consumer that the food product they are purchasing has the characteristic of the farmhouse when it is a totally manufactured or processed product?" he asks.

A tightening of rules on food labelling and nutritional claims is on the way. The EU Parliament has voted for new measures that are expected to become law next year. Under the regulations, foods with a high content of more than one of the elements, fat, sugar or salt, will be banned from carrying a nutritional claim. And if a manufacturer wants to claim a food is low in salt, for example, he or she will have to indicate whether the food is high in fat or sugar.

The European Commission is also reviewing labelling laws and has sought feedback from member states.

The Food Safety Authority canvassed the public's view here and the official response from Ireland was recently submitted to the EU by the Department of Health.

The submission, seen by The Irish Times, calls for a calorie content listing on all alcoholic drinks and recommends the full listing of ingredients on alcopops. It says the display of calorie content "may be particularly significant" for alcopop consumption because of the popularity of alcopops among girls. It also calls for health warnings on all alcohol products.

The submission says that nutritional labelling of pre-packaged foods should be mandatory and says information on saturated fat, trans fats, sugars, salt and fibre is essential. Instead of listing nutrients per 100g, it recommends listing the information per serving size.

It says Irish consumers want to see the actual country of origin on meat products, rather than "EU" or "non-EU". And it criticises the repackaging of imported meat in a way that gives a false impression that the meat was produced in the importing country.

But while the EU is considering new laws, Dr Nugent says consumers must remain vigilant. "If you are buying a product, always compare the labels on a few similar products. You would be surprised at the difference in fat or sugar in what appears to be the same product," she says. "It's a minefield out there."