Traffic Light Labeling

Traffic Light Food Labeling, is it a good or bad idea? Is it too simplistic a method for informing consumers about food ingredients? Is it a system that can easily backfire by “mislabeling” foods such as meats, dairy products, and nuts as unhealthy based on possible fat, salt, or sugar content? Numerous governments have rejected it. Anti-meat and anti-dairy groups would certainly be in favor of “simplifying” consumer food shopping with this type of food labeling system, which would basically be pushing a vegan lifestyle. On the surface it may seem like a good idea; foods with a red light are those you should have only occasionally, amber would mean an okay choice most of the time, and foods with a green light symbol being the proposed healthier choice would tell consumers the more the better. What could be easier? But would it really work that way in the mind of the consumer? We have been trained from childhood that a red light means, stop, danger ahead! This type of system could easily confuse consumers about what’s truly healthy and what’s not, with certain foods falling into the red category when they are actually healthy choices.