French chocolate makers oppose government’s proposal for colour coding chocolates

French chocolate and pastry makers have launched a campaign to oppose the government’s proposal to impose health warnings on their products in an attempt to tackle the rise of obesity in the country.

The proposal requires companies to introduce colour-coded labels for all food products to ensure healthy eating. These labels have to be produced in five colours, ranging from green for products considered good for health, to red for those best avoided or eaten in small quantities. It has been proposed to put chocolate under the red category.

The Confederation of French Chocolate and Pastry Makers, which represents more than 4,500 chocolatiers and pastry makers from across France, has started a campaign on social media sites to counter the argument that chocolates are unhealthy.

In an open letter to the minister of health Marisol Touraine, the confederation has written that chocolate does not make people fat and that the labelling will not help prevent obesity or diabetes. It also claims that attempts to introduce the same system in the US during the last 40 years have been a failure.

The letter also talks about research that suggests that eating small quantities of chocolates can be beneficial to health.

UK-based private label producer Trace One spoke about the ongoing campaign against the proposal. Trace One SVP Nick Martin said: "While more information and transparency with consumers is a good thing, this also needs to be balanced with what is important to the consumer.

"Most consumers are aware that chocolate has a high level of fat and sugar and the benefits of legislation like this are likely to be outweighed by the disruption to chocolate’s image, something that would not be well received by loyal consumers. These customers may find information like ‘80% cocoa solids’ of more relevance to informing decisions, rather than sugar and fat contents, and it could be argued that it is more important this information is displayed on all chocolate products to maintain standards of quality.

"It might also be more pertinent to include ‘enjoyed as part of a healthy lifestyle’ given research has shown activity has a major part to play in the fight against obesity. While there is room for improved transparency in the labelling of food products, any changes must present a clear benefit and be agreed with consumers and the industry to be genuinely effective."

The colour-coding proposal evolved from the recommendations of a prominent nutritionist, Professor Serge Hercberg.

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Image: French chocolate-makers have launched a campaign against colour-coding chocolates. Photo: courtesy of Mister GC/Freedigitalphotos.net.