Front of pack daily intake labelling on Australian packaged foods: introduction and use 2007-2009

This study aimed to measure the extent of use of front-of-pack daily intake (DI) labelling across food categories in Australian supermarkets, and assess the level of compliance with the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) guidelines. Surveys of six supermarkets in the Illawarra region of New South Wales were conducted twice a year in 2007, 2008 and 2009. The number of products with DI labelling increased from 58 in February 2007 to 1939 in August 2009 and appears to be growing strongly. The greatest number of products with the labelling are in the biscuits and crackers, cooking sauces, breakfast cereals, ice cream, soft drinks, processed meats, frozen foods, snack foods, juices and confectionery categories, but labelling is present in almost all categories, with the exception of milk products. Approximately 75% of products complied strictly with the AFGC guidelines, with most non-compliance being issues of minor layout differences. The DI labelling system is now widely present in the Australian market across most food categories, however further research is required to determine how useful the DI label scheme is in helping consumer choice.