The Food Standards Agency has launched a TV advert and accompanying marketing campaign to raise awareness to its traffic light colour-coded system, which now appears on food labels in several major retail chains.

A series adverts raising awareness of traffic light system - researched and developed by the FSA - appeared on ITV yesterday evening (Wednesday) and will be supported buy marketing activity in the press on poster sites and via the internet.

The 10-second ads, which each have a slightly different twist, reflect the straightforward and easy to use nature of traffic light labelling, according to the FSA. In the system, a red light means the product is high in fat/saturated fat/sugar/salt, an amber light means medium levels and a green light, low.

The FSA see labelling complex foods such as ready meals, pies and pizzas with clear and honest nutritional information as an important step in helping to improve the nation’s diet. It said its recommendations for nutritional labelling are based on robust, published consumer research and extensive consultation, which showed that traffic light colour-coding was key in helping shoppers choose healthier products quickly and easily.

According to its recent tracking survey, shoppers understand this approach. Some 76 per cent of those asked interpreted a red light on a product as meaning the food is high in something that we should be trying to cut down or keeping on eye on. Some 16 per cent interpreted it as meaning it is unhealthy and shouldn’t be eaten at all.

Food Standards Agency chair Deirdre Hutton, said: “Most manufacturers and retailers are now using front of pack nutritional labelling and this is good news. Some shoppers find extra GDA information useful - and all industry needs to do is add traffic light colours to their GDA schemes to ensure the consumer gets the best of both worlds.

“Our extensive and published research demonstrates that the use of traffic light colours is key in helping people interpret nutritional information on foods. We want to highlight to shoppers that these labels are now out there and really can help us all to make healthier choices.

“Our new labelling TV ads, like the traffic light approach, are clear and simple - with the beauty being that these labels speak for themselves.”

The Royal College of Physicians has pledged its support of the food labeling system. President Professor Ian Gilmore, said: “Obesity and unhealthy eating are a real and serious threat to the health of individuals and the nation. The complex nature of this threat requires a clear and coherent strategy - the Royal College of Physicians welcomes the FSA’s approach to front of pack labelling as a most necessary and practical element of such a strategy.”

Recent adopters of the approach include: Asda, Marks & Spencer, Budgens/Londis, Avondale Foods, Moy Park, Bombay Halwa and S&B Herba. They join Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Co-op, McCain and New Covent Garden Food Co, which have all been using colour-coded schemes for some time.