Food labels set to shame you into eating healthy and exercising

Knowing the amount of calories/kilojoules contained in the food you eat has done little to curb the worldwide obesity problem, so now there’s a push to swap the calorie count for an ‘activity equivalent’.

The Royal Society for Public Health in the United Kingdom has released a report suggests introducing an exercise measure, that is the time you’d spend working the particular food item off with exercise, as a means of warding people off eating unhealthy food or consuming unhealthy drinks.

Would you be less likely to indulge in that piece of chocolate cake if you knew it would take you around an hour of walking to burn it off?

According to RSPH chief executive Shirley Cramer, the Society found 44 per cent of people are confused by the packet information found on many products and such information needs to be made simpler.

“People find symbols much easier to understand thank numerical information,” the report says.

The activity equivalent calorie labels would be easier to understand, especially if you are of a lower socioeconomic group who “often lack nutritional knowledge and health literacy”, the report says.

Obviously, if you have a weight loss goal you should modify your diet and exercise more, and it is hoped that by placing information on food and drink packaging that relates to an exercise equivalent it will encourage a more active lifestyle in society.

Do you think ‘activity equivalent’ food labels are a good idea? Would they change your eating habits?