Food Labeling II: real food or imitation products?

The next can of worms opens up in the discussion of labeling imitation foods.
Surprise, surprise, the cheese we get on our pizza is not really cheese but an industrial product that has never seen the inside of a cow.
Or ham that mostly consists of water, binding agents and assorted (but clearly regulated) bits of meat.
Good news for Vegans? A healthier option to real ham? The cause of the controversy is not so much whether it is better for you, but that it is clearly announced to consumers that they are eating an imitation product and not the real thing.
The fun for regulators and information designers is just beginning.

The food labeling discussion, like the weather, is heating up

Today's Daily Telegraph online writes about the rival systems of gda (guidance for daily allowance in %) and traffic-light labeling (giving red, amber or green traffic lights for levels of sugar, fat and salt content). The UK Food Standards Agency advocates the traffic-light scheme.

Which one better supports decision-making, helps change eating habits? What can't be helpful for consumers are conflicting systems.

One behavioural change worth noting ...
A representative of the Austrian Consumer Agency quoted a study where British teenagers buy red label only - it's uncool to eat healthy food. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find the study so far, but I'll keep you posted.