New Dutch Nutrition Labelling Campaign Kicks Off

05/06/06 Ik Kies Bewust (I Choose Consciously) is the name of a new logo which will appear on the front of an increasing number of packaged foodstuffs from manufacturers, supermarkets and caterers in the Netherlands. The logo is intended to help consumers make a conscious choice for products with healthier ingredients. The I Choose Consciously logo is an initiative of Campina, Friesland Foods and Unilever and is now supported by the supermarket organisations Superunie, Schuitema, Super de Boer, Koop-Consult for their private labels and by Veneca (Netherlands Association of Catering Organisations).  The logo is also available to other manufacturers and supermarkets. The first products with the I Choose Consciously logo will appear from this week in the shops. The logo was unveiled today by the Minister for Health, Welfare & Sport, Hans Hoogervorst.

The key to staying healthy is enough exercise and good food: the right amount of fruit and vegetables, a varied diet and three main meals a day. It is often not clear to consumers what exactly good foods are. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) therefore appealed to the foodstuff industries to provide information that consumers can understand more easily.

In response to this appeal Campina, Friesland Foods and Unilever have now introduced the I Choose Consciously logo. The logo will appear on the front of packaging in order to inform consumers at a glance. All products that meet the requisite demands, including snacks, can qualify for the logo. The initiative is supported by the Dutch Nutrition Centre. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and leading food experts are also supporting the initiative which promotes improved composition of foodstuffs where possible, and moreover stimulates product innovations with improved nutritional ingredients.

The I Choose Consciously system is derived from international nutritional recommendations, such as those issued by the WHO. These promote a reduction of the amount of saturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, salt and sugar in foodstuffs. Moreover, the initiators have agreed that products which qualify for the logo should fall into the ‘bij voorkeur’ (preferably) or ‘middenweg’ (middle of the road) category of the Nutrition Centre’s criteria. This applies to those product groups on which the Nutrition Centre has issued an assessment. Furthermore, it has been agreed with the government that the assessment system will be further developed to also take essential foodstuffs into account. This will be carried out by the I Choose Consciously Foundation in cooperation with independent food scientists.

The logo is awarded by the I Choose Consciously Foundation. The latter ensures that the logo is correctly applied and that the criteria by which foodstuffs are judged are based on the latest scientific insights. An independent council of scientific experts is being assembled for this purpose.  Mrs C.P.G.M. de Groot (University of Wageningen), B.C. Breedveld (Nutrition Centre), J.C. Seidell (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) and R.P Mensink (Maastricht University) were among the first to promise to take part.