From May 1, most packaged food products sold in China will have
standardized, reader-friendly nutrition information labels,
according to non-binding guidelines released on Tuesday by the
Ministry of Health.
The guidelines, the first of their kind in the country, strongly
urge manufacturers to use labels that inform consumers of the
nutritional value of their products.
It marks a broadening of the government's focus on food safety
to include nutritional value, Yang Yuexin, a nutrition expert with
the center for disease control and prevention, said.
"Remember the 2004 fake milk powder case that killed dozens of
babies in Anhui province? The powder contained few nutrients and
starved babies to death," he said.
Food choice is key to life and health. The guidance will help
consumers adopt a healthy lifestyle when buying packaged food, Yang
said.
A recent survey in Beijing showed that 49 percent of packaged
food carried some kind of nutrition label.
"The guidelines aim to standardize labeling and provide
customers with information that is easy to understand," Yang
said.
The new guidelines ask for labels to carry a nutritional fact
chart and details of how "healthy" each product is considered to
be.
Specifically, the per unit content of energy, fat, protein and
carbohydrate should be stated, along with details of the saturated
fat, cholesterol, sugar, vitamin and mineral content.
"Products that are labeled as being rich in fat and cholesterol
are likely to drive away health-conscious buyers," Yang said.
"In that way and over time, manufacturers would be forced to
discontinue the product."
The guidelines say manufacturers should ensure all the health
claims they make on food labels are factual.
In the past, some manufacturers have been accused of overstating
the nutritional value of their products in order to boost
sales.
Zhang Lingping, a divisional director of the Ministry of
Health's bureau of health supervision, urged the country's food
manufacturers to be open and honest.
"They must practice strict self-discipline and be responsible
for the truthfulness of the nutrition information declared," he
said.
"After all, cheating cannot secure long-term profits."
Words like "rich in protein and calcium", are typical claims,
she said.
Wang Jin, who runs a confectionery company, said: "We will be
very careful with our labeling.
"The new approach will boost sales."
But Zhu Ying, a Beijing housewife, doubts whether the
non-binding guidelines will have any real effect.
"How can you fully trust the credibility and honesty of
companies without government constraints," she said.
(China Daily January 24, 2008)