The good thing about standards is there are so many of them

I'm sure a lot of people are looking at eating healthier, especially at this time of year, so it's good to know that the government, food manufacturers and major retailers are working together to make sure that food is labelled properly.

Or are they ?

It seems that there is a split between certain factions over what constitutes correct & easy to read food labelling, some favouring a traffic light system, while others favouring a 'percentage of GDA' format.

While traffic lights are easy to read for everyone and supporters claim percentages on food packaging mislead customers therefore hiding unhealthy foods, the argument for 'percentages' was put forward by a spokesman for Tesco who quoted figures for full fat butter and low fat spread. While their respective percentages are different, on a traffic light system they would be both red.

Ignoring the fact that anyone who believes full fat butter to be better for you than low fat spread must have spent most of the last few years in a hole in the ground, there is one compelling argument against using percentages as the standard.

That is the standard favoured by Coca Cola. Remember, this is the company that bottled tap water and sold it on for huge profits, a practice not seen since Only Fools & Horses.

Ultimately, Coca Cola don't care if you eat healthily or not, so long as their bottom line continues to grow.