Calorie-Workout Icons on Food Packets can Curb Obesity

Do you know how many calories you consume by munching on junk foods? Though the exact amount of calories are mentioned on the packets, how much exercise you'll need to do to burn off the calories is not indicated.

Shirley Cramer, chief executive of the Royal Society of Public Health, has suggested that food packaging must carry information on how much exercise is needed to burn off the calories consumed in the product.

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‘Royal Society of Public Health expert suggests the introduction of activity equivalent calorie labeling on food packets to curb obesity and inactivity.’

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She said that a small icon on the front of the packet displaying the type of workout and the number of calories burned could help people make wiser choices on food.

In today’s world, people do not get enough physical activity and are moving towards a sedentary lifestyle. The introduction of activity equivalent calories labeling can be a fairly simple step to curb obesity and make people engage in physical activity.

She also said that people only take six seconds to decide to buy a product and icons on the top depicting calories and workout needed can help them choose healthier options easily.

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Shirley Cramer, chief executive of the RSPH, said, "The aim is to prompt people to be more mindful of the energy they consume and how these calories relate to activities in their everyday lives, to encourage them to be more physically active.”

"Such information needs to be as simple as possible so that the public can easily decide what to buy and consume in the average six seconds people spend looking at food before buying.”

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"If we put this activity-equivalent calorie labeling on unhealthier food, then we'd be hoping to make some difference in people's lives, that they would be making better choices. Anything to kick-start physical activity," she added.

Source-Medindia

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