It its latest essay, the British Retail Consortium has warned that the UK risks becoming a society in fear of food if pressure groups persist in creating "unnecessary food fears".
The essay has been written by BRC director of food policy, Richard Ali and is the fourth in the consortium's series aimed at provoking debate along the food chain.
"Consumers already have enough on their minds without having to live in constant worry about the food they and their families are eating, but the peddlers of food angst are busy," said Ali.
"There are no armed guards in Britain's shops, frog marching customers down the aisles forcing them to buy the tasteless, inconvenient or expensive. Food retailers know they have to respond quickly and accurately to changing consumer demands and put their customers at the heart of their offer."
Ali believes that in the debate on healthy lifestyles and nutrition, policy makers should focus on providing a framework for a cultural shift allowing dietary changes to adjust in tandem with changing lifestyles.
"Policy makers should focus their efforts on developing clear, consistent messages within a consumer education campaign to promote a balanced diet as part of a healthy lifestyle," he said.
He also warns against the so-called traffic-light system of labelling for individual products. "This would no nothing to improve the health of the nation, and may even lead to a less healthy overall diet," warned Ali. "This is because simplistic nutritional profiles ignore the total nutritional content of particular foods and may spread food angst and actually encourage eating disorders."
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