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Experts including nutritionists and scientists are calling for exercise data to be included on food labels.
As it stands there is a lot of confusion when it comes to the nutritional values that are added on to food labels. There is no indication as to how much exercise a person would need to do in order to burn off what they have eaten. This makes it difficult to understand how small amounts of a food can be unhealthy in large quantities.
If the equivalent amount of exercise for the calorie value was also provided on food packaging it would make it easier to understand. It would also help people to make healthier choices when it comes to diet.
A common example
A 500ml bottle of soft drink containing 210 calories is more than a tenth of the daily recommended intake for a woman. Despite knowing this the figure doesn’t translate easily into a health message. If however it showed that a 4.2 mile run is what it would take to burn off the drink, it would translate better for ordinary people.
It also simplifies making comparisons between products, and highlights the dramatic differences in calorie amounts. This is something that is not always obvious when simply added as figures on a food label.
What research tell us
Research on the subject was carried out in Baltimore, US at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. It showed that when teenagers were presented with food and drinks that included exercise data, they were more likely to choose healthier or smaller portions.
The study leader Professor Sara Bleich, explained “What our research found is that when you explain calories in an easily understandable way such as how many miles of walking needed to burn them off, you can encourage behaviour change.”
It was agreed that the exercise data should be displayed alongside the calorie values instead of completely replacing them. For those who understand how the figures work they are very useful particularly for those who calorie count. The exercise recommendations however are much more easily understood by the general public.
Preventing obesity
It is thought that making calorie-rich and sugar-laden items stand out as something that should be eaten in moderation will help to prevent obesity. It will also make it easier for those trying to lose weight to make healthier choices and have a better understanding of what they are consuming.
An additional bonus of exercise related labelling is that it could help to promote physical activity too. It may help to encourage consumers to take up sports and exercise daily for a healthier lifestyle.
Adding this information on to labels could be an easy and inexpensive method of benefitting consumers and society on a national basis.
