Health Minister and Minister-designate for Food Safety Annette King today launched an educational video designed to give consumers more detailed information about what they eat.

Launching the Reading Food Labels video at St Catherine’s College in Wellington, Ms King said new food label information was appearing now on packaged foods, and must be on nearly all such foods by December.

Ms King said improved labelling information, in particular the requirement to have a nutrition information panel on virtually all packaged foods, would allow consumers to make informed choices when selecting foods. “The new labels tell you exactly how much energy, protein, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugar, and salt is in each food.

“I am delighted to launch this video explaining the new food labels. Research carried out by the Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) shows that, while consumers are avid readers of food labels, many would like more information about exactly what they mean.”

The video has been produced for schools, other educational institutions and community groups by Video Education Australasia. It goes through the new labelling step by step, and also provides consumer information about food recalls, the percentage of the main ingredient, and important health information on allergens.

“But, of course, nutrition information is of greatest use when combined with knowledge of a healthy diet. This is where educational programmes come in, such as those of organisations like the Nutrition Foundation, the Dietetics Association and the Heart Foundation.

“I strongly recommend this video to schools and other education institutions as well as community groups. A free poster on food labelling is distributed with the video and you can also view this poster in supermarkets and doctors’ surgeries.”

Copies of the videos can be bought from Video Education Australasia www.vea.com.au and copies of the labelling poster can be obtained from Public Health Units or found on the ANZFA website www.anzfa.govt.nz

For more information, contact John Harvey (04) 471 9305.

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