Waitrose has updated the criteria under which its products will receive its ‘Good Health’ label.
Alongside a new ‘Good Health’ logo, the retailer said it was shifting from traditional low-calorie and low-fat metrics to include better ingredient and nutrition criteria and transparency. It said this would make it easier for shoppers to make healthier choices.
The logo was first launched in 2018 and the latest update comes with new research by Waitrose that found 93% of its customers were prioritising avoiding ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and actively checking product ingredient lists.
To carry the updated Good Health logo on pack, products must satisfy two benchmarks. Firstly, in terms of ingredient standards, a product must contain zero additives or less recognisable ingredients. This, it explained, would free products from markers commonly associated with ultra-processed foods.
Secondly, with reference to nutrition standards, Good Health lines must carry at least one valid health/nutrition claim and classify as non-HFSS under the UK government’s nutrient profiling model, and feature zero red traffic lights – with exceptions granted only for naturally occurring fats (eg nuts, seeds, avocados, milk, fish) and naturally occurring sugars. Amber traffic lights for saturated fat are only permitted if no added saturated fats are present.
“Our customers look to us for guidance when it comes to making healthy choices, and this move enables us to support food lovers to identify even better choices,” said Waitrose lead nutritionist Dr Joanne Lunn.
“The new yellow Good Health logo will be easily identifiable across a wide variety of Waitrose products and will highlight healthy choices which have been labelled according to the new criteria of both ingredients as well as nutrition.
“The labelling of healthy choices has evolved over the years. While the focus used to be on low calories and low fat options, we’re seeing customer demand shift towards more positive nutrition and a raised consideration of ingredients, which is why we are expanding our Good Health logo criteria to include ingredients as well as nutrition.”
Waitrose said the changes built on its ongoing efforts to reduce additives from its own brand products. So far the retailer said it had improved the recipes of 110 lines by removing 220 unnecessary additives over the past 20 months.
It does not allows the use of artificial colours and flavourings in its own brand products, and prohibits the use of 146 specific additives, including 16 that have been added in the past 20 months.
It also requires suppliers to provide formal rationales for any functional additives.
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