Madam, - I write in response to the article "New labels hit a red light" (Price Watch, January 15th). The writer questions the motives of food manufacturers such as Kellogg's for adopting guideline daily amounts (GDA) in nutrition labelling rather than a traffic-light scheme, as proposed by the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA).
The UK traffic-light scheme scores foods based on 100g portions. No cereal has a recommended serving size of 100g and consumers do not eat cereals in 100g portions - most are between 30g and 45g. By not taking portion size into account, this scheme unfairly demonises many breakfast cereals.
We introduced GDA labels on the front of our packs to show clearly to consumers the amount of calories, salt, sugar, fat and saturated fat per serving to help them make an informed choice for a balanced diet.
Research shows that GDA labelling is the clear consumer preference for front-of-pack nutritional information as it is easy to read in a busy shopping environment (OMD Snapshots and BMRB Omnibus Survey 2006).
Your article implies that Kellogg's cereals are unhealthy. Yet breakfast cereals are the most nutrient-dense breakfast foods and provide less than 5 per cent of the sugar and salt in our diets. They also contribute just 0.6 per cent intake of fat - a nutritionally insignificant amount.
Kellogg's has always been committed to providing clear nutrition information for Irish consumers, of which GDA labelling is a part. - Yours, etc,
BEV POSTMA,
Kellogg's Ireland,
Swords Road,
Santry, Dublin 9.