A major milestone demonstrating commitment to the EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health was achieved in 2005 when FoodDrinkEurope and several of its members pioneered the concept of front of pack nutrition labelling through the then-called “Guideline Daily Amounts” (GDA).
The GDA scheme provides nutrition information on a per portion basis (in addition to that provided per 100g/ml in the nutrition declaration) and since its launch, it has seen a large uptake not only by both large and small food and drink manufacturers but also by many retailers. The scheme, firstly launched in Europe, has been adopted in many other regions around the world, including Asia, Australia and North- and South-America. As a consequence, consumers have become very familiar with GDA icons.
In 2013, in view of the changing EU legislation, FoodDrinkEurope reaffirmed its commitment to encourage consistent and harmonised nutrition labelling on the front of pack of food and drink products with the introduction of “Reference Intakes” (“RI”).
In partnership with other stakeholders including governments, food chain suppliers and NGOs, Europe’s food and drink manufacturers continue to be active in promoting improved healthy eating choices for consumers.