A recent survey by a consumer advocacy group in Australia has found that a "traffic light" labelling system is more popular with the public than the current daily intake guide labelling system.
The consumer group Choice along with the Cancer Council and the Institute of Obesity, says shoppers find it easier to identify healthier food with the "traffic light" system where salt, sugar and fat content are given a green, amber or red rating on a label which appears on the front of an item.
The survey was conducted in four different shopping centres in Sydney and Newcastle and covered a cross-section of socioeconomic groups.
The colour-coded traffic lights system was developed by the UK Food Standards Agency and it is seen as a useful tool for helping consumers to make healthier food choices.
The system ranks the total fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt as high, medium or low and gives a red, amber or green light accordingly.
According to the survey 64% of shoppers were able to identify healthy food labelled with the daily intake scheme compared to more than 80% who correctly identified healthier foods using traffic light labelling.
Choice says consumers from lower socio-economic groups had more difficulty reading the labels compared to those in high socio-economic groups.
This is particularly important says the consumer group because it is lower income groups that have a greater burden of obesity and the health conditions associated with poor diets and unhealthy eating habits.