| Choosing to buy local, healthy food when you | | | | nutrition content, and although it's good that they |
| know it may cause someone somewhere else in | | | | exist what's really needed is clear, consistent |
| the world hardship or even malnutrition or | | | | information in language that consumers can |
| starvation is an uncomfortable decision. | | | | understand. |
| We also want to do our best for our families by | | | | Then there are the scientific disagreements. For |
| buying the healthiest food we can find while at | | | | example it has been suggested that the carbon |
| the same time keeping down the cost of things | | | | footprint of some food produced in, say, Africa, |
| like our weekly shopping bills. | | | | may actually be lower than it is for |
| How on earth can we know we're making the | | | | locally-produced organic foods. |
| right choices and being as "green" as possible, | | | | When it comes to licensing the new low-chem |
| given the plethora of conflicting information we | | | | agricultusal products being created by biopesticides |
| get, the inter-governmental and scientific | | | | developers there's no more agreement. |
| squabbles and the sheer amount of time and | | | | It's generally agreed, however, that they are |
| energy we would have to devote to research? | | | | much more enfironmentally friendly than many of |
| How, therefore, can we eat healthily, be sure | | | | the previous generation of chemical-based |
| there are no chemical residues in our food and be | | | | fertilisers, yield enhancers and pesticides and could |
| sure also that the carbon footprint of our | | | | potentially help keep food costs down compared |
| locally-produced food is not actually greater than | | | | to organically grown products. |
| food imported from somewhere else in the | | | | These new generation biofertilisers, biofungicides |
| world? | | | | and yield enhancers have the potential to help |
| Of course there are labels on food, but they need | | | | small farmers in developing countries both protect |
| to be clear, understandable and consistent and | | | | their land and improve its yield with obvious |
| checking every label on the weekly shop with a | | | | benefits to their incomes and to us all in being able |
| couple of tetchy toddlers in tow, perhaps, at the | | | | to buy affordable, healthy food. |
| end of a working day, really - life's too short! | | | | A World Health Organisation publication in 2008 on |
| One look at the UK's 2009 laws on food labelling is | | | | health and nutrition says a sound communication |
| enough to give an ordinary shopper a headache. | | | | and information strategy coordinating and creating |
| This extract is just a sample. It says that "fibre", | | | | synergy among the various media is essential for |
| in the context of nutrition labelling, means | | | | supporting the adoption of healthy lifestyles and |
| carbohydrate polymers with three or more | | | | the maintenance of food safety and sustainable |
| monomeric units, which are neither digested nor | | | | food supplies. |
| absorbed in the human small intestine and then | | | | It adds that currently, messages provided through |
| lists a string of definitions. | | | | nutrition education campaigns are often |
| And then there's packaging! Producers have to | | | | contradicted by commercial communication |
| comply with the Packaging (Essential | | | | practices..... and that consumers find that current |
| Requirements) Regulations, which list the | | | | nutrition label formats are generally confusing and |
| maximum levels of various chemicals allowed in | | | | do not help them to make healthy choices. |
| the packaging as well as levels of packaging that | | | | The World Health Organisation's assessment |
| can be used and requires them to be of | | | | applies equally to this discussion. |
| recyclable materials. | | | | If we are to be able to change our shopping |
| Also large-scale producers have to comply with | | | | habits to do our bit towards a more sustainable |
| the Producer Responsibility Obligations (packaging | | | | environment, reducing food scarcity and reversing |
| waste)Regulations. | | | | the impacts of climate change we need |
| The Food Standards Agency also has rules | | | | information about what we're buying in a form |
| covering the mislabelling of foods. | | | | that's consistent wherever we live, that we can |
| That means there are three sets of rules just | | | | rely on and in words we can understand. |
| about packaging and labelling, never mind the | | | | |