M&S is urging the government to relax labelling rules so it can use commonly understood phrases like “gut health” instead of “intestinal transit time”.
M&S Food MD Alex Freudmann has written to health secretary Yvette Cooper calling for a review of fibre labelling rules to boost the nation’s intake.
The letter, also signed by nutritionist Emily English and Bowel Cancer UK ambassador Dr Anisha Patel, argues retailers should be able to use everyday language. It claims the phrase “fibre supports gut health” is not only more customer-friendly but also backed by scientific evidence.
“Our customers tell us they want to eat more fibre, but we are prevented from explaining its benefits in clear, everyday language on our packaging. This has to change,” said the letter.
“The current rules mean retailers are only permitted to use highly technical and non-customer-friendly wording on packaging, such as ‘barley grain fibre contributes to an increase in faecal bulk’ or ‘wheat bran fibre contributes to an accelerated intestinal transit time’. Retailers can’t simply state that ‘fibre supports gut health’ in the language customers understand, despite the clear scientific evidence to support that link.”
The letter, dated 6 August, pointed to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey finding 96% of UK adults consumed less than the recommended 30g of fibre a day.
Meanwhile many customers did not understand “how or why this matters”, despite wanting to eat more fibre, it said.
“We would welcome your support in asking the UK Nutrition and Health Claims Committee and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition to urgently review permitted fibre health claims, with a view to enabling simpler, consumer-friendly language that reflects the latest scientific evidence,” the letter said.
“This is a practical, evidence-based change that could help millions of people make healthier choices every day, reduce the risk of preventable disease and ease pressure on the NHS.”
The letter invites Cooper to meet the retailer “to discuss our approach to supporting customers to make healthier choices, and how it could interact with government policy”.
Freudmann said: “Customers tell us they want to eat more fibre, but the current rules make it harder than it should be to explain the benefits in a simple, everyday way. We are transforming our ranges, making affordable fibre-rich foods easier to shop and raising awareness of the health benefits of fibre by working with Bowel Cancer UK, but we need the rules to catch up.
“This is a practical, evidence-based change that could help millions of people make healthier choices and support the government’s prevention agenda.”
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