The blue ticks used to encourage shoppers to make ‘considered’ or ‘healthy’ food choices should be scrapped from packaging, the Dutch consumers’ association Consumentenbond said on Monday.

Research published by the organisation shows 75% of consumers do not know what the ticks mean or understand the difference between the blue and green circles.

Unhealthy products with high salt or sugar content, such as crisps and cola, can qualify for the label if they are ‘better’ than other products in the same category. This is misleading and suggests some food is healthier than it actually is.

In addition, companies have to pay between €1,800 and €90,000 to place the symbol on their packaging. This disadvantages companies which don’t want to pay, the Consumentenbond said.

Misleading

Last year the Consumentenbond urged the food safety authority NVWA to get tough on misleading claims made by food manufacturers. Claims on packaging such as ‘rich in fibre’, ‘low fat’ and ‘rich in vitamin C’ mislead shoppers into believing products are healthier than similar alternatives, the organisation said.

The government-based Consumers Authority published a report in January in which it identified 12 different food trade labels, ranging from fair trade to low fat. There are several different labelling systems for eggs alone.