British Dental Health Foundation Supports Traffic Light Food Labels
The British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF) is supporting the introduction of ‘traffic light’ food labelling to allow nutritional values to become clearly visible.
The BDHF is supporting the scheme, which was proposed by the British Heart Foundation and the Children’s Food Campaign and has urged the government to bring in a clear labelling system. This system is suitable for both adults and children as it is easy to read and understand. The organisation also believes the traffic light system will enable adults to properly educate children about nutrition.
A poor diet is a major cause of health problems, including oral diseases, in the UK and more and more are suffering from conditions related to diet. Current health concerns relating to diet include: obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. Chief executive of the BDHF, Dr Nigel Carter, said that the traffic light system would make a significant difference to oral health in the future. Nigel reckons the system would act as a deterrent as people would be more inclined to avoid foods brandishing a red label.
Dr Carter confirmed that the proposed system has the full support of the foundation and said that it was important that everyone is aware of the impact their diet has on their health. Sugar consumption is a major problem for dentists in the UK, especially when it comes to children, as many dentists are reporting seeing children as young as 2 years old with extensive decay. The traffic light system would also make consumers aware of ‘hidden sugars’, which are often lurking in products that are marketed as ‘healthy goods’.
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