Coca-Cola adopts front-of-pack Nutrition Labelling Scheme

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

Provide consumers with transparent nutrition information

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 Britain to help make it easier for people to make choices that support a more balanced diet at-a-glance whilst shopping.

Real step forward for the company

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.”

Support for the Government’s Public Health Responsibility Deal

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.

Details of the new labelling scheme for 330ml cans of Coca‑Cola, Diet Coke, Coca‑Cola Zero and Coca‑Cola Life.