Coca-Cola Great Britain to adopt UK Government’s Voluntary Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling Scheme

Coca‑Cola Great Britain (CCGB) today announced it is adopting the UK Government’s voluntary front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme, which combines nutrient amounts and percentage Reference Intakes (RIs)¹ with colour coding to show how much fat, saturated fat, salt, sugar and energy (calories) is in a product.

Coca‑Cola Great Britain has long been committed to providing consumers with clear nutritional information and has featured Guideline Daily Amount (now known as Reference Intake) labelling on the front of its cans and bottles in Great Britain since 2007. The adoption of the voluntary, colour coded front-of-pack scheme in Great Britain is consistent with The Coca‑Cola Company’s global commitment to provide consumers with transparent nutrition information on the front of its packs.

Having gauged British consumers’ views on the scheme, the company has decided to introduce the new labelling on all of the brands it sells in Great Britain² to help make it easier for people to make choices that support a more balanced diet at-a-glance whilst shopping.

Jon Woods, General Manager of Coca‑Cola UK & Ireland, said: “The increased choice of products available in stores today is great news for shoppers and we believe that front-of-pack nutritional labelling can help people choose a balanced diet. We have monitored the labelling scheme since it started to appear in-store and asked shoppers in Great Britain for their views. They told us they want a single, consistent labelling scheme across all food and drink products to help them make the right choices for them and their families. That is why we have decided to adopt
it across our full range of brands².”

Jane Ellison, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health, said: “I am delighted that Coca‑Cola Great Britain has adopted this Government’s voluntary front of pack labelling scheme. It will help consumers make informed choices and lead a healthier lifestyle. We want all businesses to give people clear and consistent information about their food and drink.”

Professor Susan Jebb, University of Oxford and Chair of the Public Health Responsibility Deal Food Network, said: “I really welcome this announcement that Coca‑Cola Great Britain are signing up to the Responsibility Deal pledge on Front of Pack Labelling. Together with their other work to decrease the sugar content of their products, introduce lower calorie options and reduce portion size, it represents a real step forward for the company in recognising their responsibilities for public health and supporting their customers to make healthier choices and control their calorie intake.”

This is the latest in a series of actions Coca‑Cola Great Britain is taking in support of the Government’s Public Health Responsibility Deal and as part of its broader efforts to help people lead healthier lives. In the past 18 months, it has reduced the calorie content of Sprite by 30%³, introduced a small, 250ml can of Coca‑Cola, Diet Coke and Coca‑Cola Zero and launched Coca‑Cola Life – a lower calorie cola with a third less sugar and a third fewer calories than regular cola⁴.

Coca‑Cola Great Britain is also investing £20m in community based physical activity projects to inspire one million people to get more active by 2020.

Today, the company has 23 brands in Great Britain and all its major brands have a low or no calorie option. More than 40% of the cola it sells in GB is no sugar, no calorie – either Diet Coke or Coca‑Cola Zero – and in the last six years it has also reduced the calorie content of Fanta Orange by 30%, Oasis by 35% and Lilt by 56%.

The necessary supply chain changes are being made now and the new, colour coded labelling scheme will appear on packs in-store within the first half of next year.

1. ‘Reference Intakes’ (RIs) is the term used in Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers (EU FIC). RIs are guidelines that give the approximate amount of energy and particular nutrients that can be consumed as part of a healthy diet each day. They give a useful indication of how much energy the average person needs and how a particular nutrient fits into the daily diet. The Government’s recommended voluntary front of pack labelling nutrition scheme is based upon EU FIC and therefore uses RIs instead of the previously used term ‘Guideline Daily Amounts’.
2. Excluding Coca‑Cola Great Britain’s two water brands – Schweppes Abbey Well and Glaceau smartwater.
3. Versus most sugared drinks in GB.
4. 36% less calories vs full sugared colas in GB due to a sugar reduction of 37% thanks to stevia leaf extract.