The Food Standards Agency in the UK has welcomed a move by price comparison website mySupermarket.co.uk to use traffic light labelling to allow online shoppers to compare the nutritional value of food products.
The UK’s only independent supermarket comparison site received the positive feedback after the launch of its new ‘Health Checker‘ tool.
The Food Standards Agency’s recommended approach of using the red/amber/green ‘traffic light’ system enables shoppers to see if the product is high, medium or low in salt, fat, saturated fats or sugars. mySupermarket claims that the Health Checker could knock 4,000 calories off the average weekly food shop for four, equivalent to losing more than a stone in weight over a year.
Johnny Stern, Director of mySupermarket.co.uk, said, “Many shoppers have told us that health is just as important as money when it comes to selecting products at the supermarket. Our aim is to give shoppers the clearest possible information on the products they buy to help them make quicker, smarter shopping choices”.
“We are delighted that mySupermarket is using traffic light labelling on its site,” said Rosemary Hignett, Head of Nutrition at the Food Standards Agency. “It helps people who are shopping online to make healthier food choices, at a glance. Most of us lead busy lives and this is a very helpful tool for people who shop from the comfort of their own home.’
mySupermarket is the UK’s leading supermarket comparison site that compares the prices of four online supermarkets; ASDA, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Ocado (Waitrose). The site is quick and easy to use and allows shoppers to buy groceries and arrange home delivery all online – thus avoiding the queues and chaos of high street supermarkets.
mySupermarket.co.uk is entirely owned by a group of UK private investors and mySupermarket employees and as such no supermarkets or product manufacturers have any stake in the company.
To find out more about the Health Checker, visit the supermarket price comparison site at: www.mySupermarket.co.uk