FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                         27^th MARCH 2002

THE HON TRISH WORTH MP
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing

A HEALTHIER FUTURE FOR OUR CHILDREN:
NEW VIDEOS ON FOOD LABELLING AND HEALTHY EATING LAUNCHED

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing, the Hon Trish Worth, today launched two educational videos on how to use the new information on food labels and on how to choose a healthy eating plan.

When launching the videos at the Adelaide TAFE, Ms Worth said 'Diet related disease, such as heart disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes, is an increasing problem for Australians today. The risk of these diet-related diseases can be reduced by better eating.

New food label information is appearing now, and must be on nearly all packaged foods by December this year. The new labels tell you exactly how much energy, protein, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugar, and sodium (salt) is each food. Improved labelling information, in particular the requirement to have a nutrition information panel on virtually all packaged foods, is intended to support the National Dietary Guidelines by providing sufficient information to allow consumers to make an informed choice when selecting foods.

'I am delighted to launch this video explaining the new food labels. Research carried out by the Australia New Zealand Food Authority shows that, while consumers are avid readers of food labels many would like more information about exactly what they mean. This schools video produced by Video Education Australasia does just that: it takes you through the new labelling step by step. It also provides consumer information about food recalls, the percentage of the main ingredient and important health information on allergens.

'But, of course, nutrition information is of greatest use when combined with knowledge of a healthy diet - which is where the second video on healthy eating comes in. This video was produced in conjunction with Nutrition Australia and gives practical suggestions on healthy eating.

'I strongly recommend both videos to schools and other education institutions as well as community groups. A free poster on food labelling is distributed with the videos and you can also view this poster in supermarkets and doctors' surgeries,' Ms Worth concluded.

Copies of the videos can be purchased by calling Video Education Australasia 1800 034 282. Their website is www.vea.com.au <http://www.vea.com.au> . Copies of the education poster can be found on the Food Standards Australia New Zealand website www.foodstandards.gov.au.

Further information: Lydia Buchtmann, FSANZ, 0401 714 265
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