Sainsbury's to present nutritional labelling evidence to government

The company is also calling on other retailers and suppliers to drop their long-standing opposition to the labels, according to the Grocer Director of Sainsbury’s brand, Judith Batchelar, said sales of some foods bearing green lights because of low salt, sugar and fat had risen almost 50%, whereas those with mostly red lights had fallen by up to a quarter. A Department of health consultation on nutritional labelling is due to end next month, with most suppliers and some supermarkets, including Tesco, opposed to the idea. Sainsbury’s said its traffic light-based health wheel, which it introduced in 2005, had “challenged conventional wisdom” about a range of products. Sainsbury’s evidence will include a study by Ipsos Mori showing that sales of Be Good To Yourself Easy Steam salmon, which has mostly green traffic lights, grew 46.1% - whereas sales of Taste the Difference Moussaka (mostly reds) fell by 24% over a comparable 12-week period last year.