SWITZERLAND – Swiss dairies may soon be forced to introduce a colour code on packaging identifying products with high calorie content.

The Swiss government is behind adoption of a mandatory declaration system for calorie-rich foods with, for example, a red mark on packaging of products with high sugar or fat contents, and orange and green markings for progressively “lighter”, and possibly healthier, products. A similar system is being considered in the UK.

On top of this, new advertising rules being considered could ban the use of words such as “healthy” in promotions where fat content is high.

Some cheeses, butter and cream are among the items being considered for red “danger” flagging by the authorities, who have noted an increase in the proportion of overweight citizens from 30 to 37% in the last ten years.