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Almost eight in 10 Australians (78 per cent) are familiar with Daily Intake Guide (DIG) front-of-pack food labels which help formulate a balanced diet while nearly two thirds of people (64 per cent) think DIG is easy to read and understand, according to a new national survey*.
More than half (55 per cent) of Australians believe the DIG provides useful nutritional information and 39 per cent use the front-of-pack thumbnails help decide whether to buy a product.
DIG labels offer an easy-to-follow tool providing information to formulate a daily eating plan. The thumbnails outline the amount of energy, fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt in a standard portion of the food and how that translates to average daily intake.
First launched in 2006, DIG thumbnails now feature on more than 4000 supermarket products across Australia including on an increasing number of private label products.
AFGC Chief Executive Kate Carnell said contrary to some criticism that DIG is difficult to understand, it’s encouraging to see a considerable number of consumers are using the labelling system when choosing foods and drinks and find them easy to understand.
“This research clearly shows DIG is a highly effective tool for families or individuals as it provides easy-to-understand, scientific information to help people make informed and personalised choices to enjoy a healthy and balanced diet,” Ms Carnell said.
Other key findings of the study included:
- Only 8 per cent of Australians reported that they have not seen or heard of the DIG,
- Females are more likely to have seen or heard of DIG than males (females 83 per cent; males 74 per cent).
- Younger consumers are more likely to have seen or heard of the DIG than older ones (18-34 years: 84 per cent; 35-49 years: 79 per cent; 50-64 years: 70 per cent).
Ms Carnell said there was no evidence to warrant changing Australia’s front-of-pack food labelling system.
“Changing food labels is expensive for industry and consumers – there’s no sanity for changing to traffic light labels over a system that’s already working, especially at a time when industry is under immense pressure from challenges right across the supply chain,” Ms Carnell said.
To read the survey, click here. For more information on the Daily Intake Guide and to calculate your daily intake levels, visit www.mydailyintake.net
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More information: Brad Watts AFGC Director Media and Public Affairs 0437 379 818.
*This Newspoll study was conducted online in August 2011 among 1,222 adults aged 18-64 nationally. |
