Statement Choices International about advice ‘Ik kies bewust’

August 23th, 2016

Choices International has been informed about the advice of the Dutch Choices Foundation “Ik Kies Bewust” to the Dutch Ministry of Health about the future of the blue and green Dutch Choices logo “het Vinkje”.

Choices International greatly appreciates the accomplishments of the Dutch Choices programme; it has a high consumer awareness, retail coverage and number of logo bearing products. Impact assessment shows that the labelling programme leads to a high level of product reformulation across all product groups.

While respecting the autonomy of the national Choices organisations, the board of the Choices Foundation regrets the advice to the Minister to end the use of the “blue Vinkje” logo and to use a logo only in a limited set of product groups. The Choices labelling programme aims at covering the whole food supply by indicating the best in class options in each food group, which has been a effective strategy to stimulate reformulation across the board.

The actions by Choices International to promote healthier food options around the world will continue relentlessly. Guiding food manufacturers in making their product portfolio healthier is an essential element in these actions. Therefore Choices International offers its support to start a new initiative for reformulation and consumer friendly labelling in The Netherlands, as advised by the Dutch Foundation ‘Ik Kies Bewust’. The Choices principles might be used as a starting point for this reformulation initiative: to include all food groups, voluntary, positive and in collaboration.

About Choices International

The Choices International Foundation, established in 2007, is a global program to foster and promote healthy food to prevent non-communicable diseases and obesity by means of reformulation, education and positive front-of-pack labelling. The Choices programme is present in six countries and it works together with experts in many areas in the world to start more of such labelling programmes. Its criteria for healthier food are determined by panels of independent leading scientists and its implementation is based on collaboration between government, science and industry.