Standards/badges in the news

The truth behind food buzzword descriptions

Buzzwords used on food packaging, such as ‘natural’ or ‘diet’, can mislead consumers into thinking certain products are healthier than is actually the case. Studies show that this ‘halo’ effect means we not only pay more for these ‘healthy’ foods but end up eating more of them too.

Consumers can look out for certain logos/labels to know what they are buying, e.g. the FAIRTRADE Mark and the Soil Association organic symbol.



Large producers moving away from Fairtrade labelling

Following the news in the summer that Sainsbury’s are replacing the FAIRTRADE Mark with their own in-house certification scheme, multinational food and drink giants Mondelez International (which owns Cadbury), Unilever, and Barry Callebaut (world’s biggest producer of chocolate and cocoa products) have all confirmed they are now using their own ethical standards, eschewing independent third party labels.




Sainsburys and Fairtrade

Sainsbury’s hit the headlines in June 2017 when they announced a decision to replace the FAIRTRADE Mark with its own Fairly Traded label on its Red Label tea products. This news sparked consumer outrage; the extent of which is apparent in the response to this petition on Change.Org, which attracted over 100,000 signatures.




‘Organic’ and ‘free range’ claims

With ethical consumerism on the rise, consumers can often be misled by confusing or meaningless labels and claims on products, such as ‘organic’ and ‘free-range’. These stories highlight the practice of misleading labelling and how independent certification can help consumers identify genuine claims.