A £4m promotional campaign for nutritional labels that show guideline daily amounts (GDA) is to kick off today.

The campaign for labels that show the percentages of guideline quantities of sugar, salt, fat and calories, which is supported by supermarkets Tesco, Somerfield and Morrison, will start with TV and print adverts.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA)-approved traffic light system - where green marks healthy options and red warns not to consume too much - has been criticised by the 21 firms opting for the GDA system.

Members of the GDA group say that consumers will not buy products with red labels on them and that percentages are easier to understand than the FSA traffic light system.

GDA campaign director Jane Holdsworth said: “We have made it simple to compare what is inside thousands of everyday foods so you can choose what best suits your diet.”

Tesco uses the GDA labeling system on more than 5,000 products and plans to extend this to every own-label product within the next few months.

Tesco spokesman Jonathan Church told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Our sales data shows customers are using it to make changes towards healthier foods.”

But supporters of the FSA traffic light system, which has been adopted by firms including Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, the Co-Op, Marks & Spencer and Asda, claim the GDA system will confuse shoppers as many adults do not understand percentages.

But the FSA said its research shows traffic light labels are easier to understand. “Some consumers do like the extra information that GDAs provide,” said the FSA. “However, without a traffic light colour code our research showed that shoppers can’t always interpret the information quickly and often find percentages difficult to understand and use.”

The FSA added that if traffic light colours were added to products with GDA labels this would “reduce the confusion in the marketplace”.

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