Senator Grant Tambling, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Aged Care, today launched an information poster developed by the Australia New Zealand Food Authority for consumers to help them understand the new food labelling as well as a new nutrition advice service made available by Sanitarium.
At the launch Senator Tambling said ‘ Diet related disease, such as heart disease, obesity and adult onset diabetes, is increasing in our society. More and more people want information at their fingertips when shopping for food so that they can make healthy choices for themselves and their family.
‘Last December, Food Standards Ministers agreed that nutrition panels should be on all packaged foods so that consumers could see the amount of energy (kilojoules), protein, total fat, saturated fats, total carbohydrate, sugars and sodium in each food. I am delighted to launch this information poster today which has been developed by the Australia New Zealand Food Authority. The poster has been sent to family doctors, health professionals and retail outlets so that consumers can understand the new labelling as it is phased in up until December 2002.
‘I would particularly like to thank Coles, Woolworths, the Dietitians Association of Australia, Nutrition Australia and the Australian Medical Association for their assistance to the Australia New Zealand Food Authority in developing and distributing the poster,’ Senator Tambling concluded.
Dr Rosemary Stanton, who also spoke at the launch, stressed the importance of a balanced diet. ‘ This week is Nutrition Week and it is an important time for us to seek good nutritional information about the food we eat. The new labelling, especially nutrition information panels, means consumers can make good choices. I also urge people to get the latest nutritional advice from their family doctor or an accredited practicing dietitian. This important contact information is at the bottom of this poster.’
The consumer poster can be viewed on the ANZFA website, click here.
