Food agency takes on industry over junk labels Felicity Lawrence Thursday December 28, 2006 The Guardian 1. Consumers are to be presented with two rival new year advertising campaigns as the Food Standards Agency goes public in its battle with the industry over the labelling of unhealthy foods. 2. The Guardian has learned that the FSA will launch a series of 10-second television adverts in January telling shoppers how to follow a red, amber and green traffic light labelling system on the front of food packs, which is designed to tackle Britains obesity epidemic. 3. The campaign is a direct response to a concerted attempt by leading food manufacturers and retailers, including Kelloggs and Tesco, to derail the system. The industry fears that traffic lights would demonise entire categories of foods and could seriously damage the market for those that are fatty, salty or high in sugar. 4. The UK market for breakfast cereals is worth £1.27bn a year and the manufacturers fear it will be severely dented if red light labels are put on packaging drawing attention to the fact that the majority are high in salt and/or sugar. 5. The industry is planning a major marketing campaign for a competing labelling system which avoids colour-coding in favour of information about the percentage of guideline daily amounts (GDAs) of fat, salt and sugar contained in their products. 6. The battle for the nations diet comes as new rules on television advertising come into force in January which will bar adverts for unhealthy foods from commercial breaks during programmes aimed at children. Sources at the TV regulators are braced for a legal challenge from the industry and have described the lobbying efforts to block any new ad ban or colour-coded labelling as the most ferocious weve ever experienced. 7. Ofcoms chief executive, Ed Richards, said: We are prepared to face up to any legal action from the industry, but we very much hope it will not be necessary. The FSA said it was expecting an onslaught from the industry in January. Senior FSA officials said the manufacturers efforts to undermine its proposals on labelling could threaten the agencys credibility. 8. Terrence Collis, FSA director of communications, dismissed claims that the proposals were not based on science. We have some of the most respected scientists in Europe, both within the FSA and in our independent advisory committees. It is unjustified and nonsensical to attack the FSAs scientific reputation and to try to undermine its credibility. 9. The FSA is understood to have briefed its ad agency, United, before Christmas, and will aim to air ads that are non-confrontational, humorous and factual as a counterweight to industrys efforts about the same time. The agency, however, will have a tiny fraction of the budget available to the industry. 10. Gavin Neath, chairman of Unilever UK and president of the Food and Drink Federation, has said that the industry has made enormous progress but could not accept red stop signs on its food. 11. Alastair Sykes, chief executive of Nestl UK, said that under the FSA proposals all his companys confectionery and most of its cereals would score a red. Are we saying people shouldnt eat confectionery? Were driven by consumers and what they want, and much of what we do has been to make our products healthier, he said. 12. Chris Wermann, director of communications at Kelloggs, said: In principle we could never accept traffic light labelling. 13. The rival labelling scheme introduced by Kelloggs, Danone, Unilever, Nestl, Kraft and Tesco and now favoured by 21 manufacturers, uses an industry-devised system based on identifying GDAs of key nutrients. Tesco says it has tested both traffic lights and GDA labels in its stores and that the latter increased sales of healthier foods. 14. But the FSA said it could not live with this GDA system alone because it was not scientific or easy for shoppers to understand at a glance. Questions 1-6 Answer the questions below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer. 1. When will instructions be given on reading the color-coded labels? 2. Where can customers find the red light labels? 3. What problem is the FSA trying to handle with the labeling system? 4. Which product sells well but may not be healthy? 5. What information, according to the manufacturers, can be labeled on products? 6. What can not be advertised during childrens programmes?
上一篇: 雅思英语听力考题回忆(网友版)
下一篇: 雅思考试口语真题答案及解析
体坛英语资讯:Maradona reveals plans to remain Dorados boss
什么颜色最让人放松?
The Key to Be Successful 成功的关键
国际英语资讯:Tokyo police find knives planted near Prince Hisahitos school desk
国内英语资讯:Envoy says China opposes nuclear proliferation in whatever forms
国际英语资讯:Trump, Erdogan discuss Turkeys purchase of S-400 missile defense system
钢铁侠是金牛座?外媒推测出的漫威英雄星座,你服不服?
体坛英语资讯:Shoulder injury ends the season for Real Madrids Odriozola
眼角膜捐赠大国斯里兰卡:它伤痕累累,却给世界带去光明
国际英语资讯:Greek PM welcomes outcome of Spanish elections as message of hope against far-Right
国内英语资讯:2019 China-California Business Forum to be held in Los Angeles in June
6种时间管理方式
国际英语资讯:UN chief appeals for more resources to those hit by Cyclone Kenneth
外国领导人对“一带一路”竖起大拇指
国际英语资讯:U.S., Turkey conduct joint naval exercise in Black Sea
国内英语资讯:China upgrades 5th edition of its currency
体坛英语资讯:Nadal continues quest for 12th title, Djokovic stunned at ATP Monte-Carlo Masters
国内英语资讯:Xi holds talks with Nepalese president
国内英语资讯:China to hold gathering to mark centenary of May Fourth Movement
国际英语资讯:Depression over Bay of Bengal, Equatorial Indian Ocean intensifies into cyclonic storm
The Joy in Library 图书馆的乐趣
国际英语资讯:More than 300,000 Venezuelan children in Colombia need humanitarian aid: UNICEF
国内英语资讯:Chinese top legislator meets Lao president
拜登宣布参选美国总统 民主党内已有19个竞争对手
国内英语资讯:Senior CPC official meets Djiboutian president
国内英语资讯:National rejuvenation is the common aspiration across Strait: James Soong Chu-yu
国内英语资讯:(BRF) Feature: In Schwabs eyes, BRI growing into mature initiative
国内英语资讯:China Focus: Worlds largest horticultural expo opens to public
全球情绪调查:世界正变得越来越悲伤
体坛英语资讯:Sabalenka gives Belarus early lead with Fed Cup semifinal opener win