Did you know that there is a guideline for daily amounts of differen t types of food we consume? Are you able to recite what those guidelines are? I am not able to and would be surprised if most people could. As a cons umer, I appreciate being able to read a label and understand if it is a heal thy choice, an unhealthy choice, or somewhere in the middle. I do not have e nough time nor interest in reading every inch of a label to determine, somehow, if it is a healthy choice for me. There are standards in place to enable consumers to make wise decision s when purchasing packaged foods. By law, the label must incl ude the energy value (calories) as well as the amounts of fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt. To take it a step further, a visual system is bein g used. The ͞ traffic light ͟ , as it is being called, uses the same colours and meanings of yo ur regular traffic lights. Red, in the world of food and nutriti on, is displayed for ingredients that are not good for you and are a high percentage of your daily amount under the guidelines mentioned earlier. Amber is a cauti on that one should take note of the amount, and green is for a healthy amount. All of these new labelling guidelines are great but can it be taken further? Currently, it is voluntary for food producers to place this i nformation on the front of the package. A movement is afoot to change this from voluntary to mandatory. As a consumer, I would greatly appreciate being able to compare th e ͞ traffic light ͟ information, right from the shelf. A uniform design would be a nice touch, as well. Step by step, slowly but surely, consumers are goin g to get what they want and need.
