Dairy Industry Forced to Face Fats
Leading health charity the Viva Health applauds the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) new traffic light food-labelling scheme which gives cheese the red light. The high levels of fat and salt in cheese make it as unhealthy as some junk foods. With the FSA’s traffic light colours you can see at a glance if a food contains high, medium or low amounts of fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt. The scheme also shows the amount of these “baddies’ present in a portion of the food. So, if you see a red light on the front of the pack, you know the food is high in something you should be trying to cut down on or avoid. The more green lights, the healthier the food. The dairy industry’s cross-sector body Dairy UK believes the FSA’s new scheme is damaging the public’s perception of cheese and hitting cheese consumption rates. They have just announced that they are setting up a working group to lobby the government on what they see as “anti-cheese” labelling and TV advertising regulations.
Viva Health senior health campaigner Dr Justine Butler says “We have been warning people about the detrimental health effects of consuming cheese and other high-fat animal-based foods for years. Cheddar cheese contains around 35 per cent fat, of which over 60 per cent is saturated. As the number of people suffering from heart disease, obesity and cancer rises to epidemic proportions, we should applaud the FSA’s efforts to increase the public’s awareness of how their diet is directly linked to their own health; they are simply trying to help people make healthier choices. This scheme was not designed to target any particular food group, it just happens that cheese is not a healthy food and this system shows that. Just because the dairy industry doesn’t like it, doesn’t mean it’s wrong!” “There are many healthier dairy-free alternatives” says Dr Butler “Viva Health are always happy to offer advice and guidance to people who want to improve their diet. We can provide fact sheets, health guides, recipe ideas and nutritional information, just visit www.vegetarian.org.uk or telephone 0117 970 5190 (9am-6pm).”
For more information contact Dr Justine Butler on 0117 970 5190 or email justine@vegetarian.org.uk
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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