Effective strategies to increase energy expenditure and reduce energy intake are being sought by countless agencies around the world. One key strategy will be to enhance health literacy across the population so that everyone will be able to easily understand the energy density of the available foods and drinks. Many countries require that food and drink labels include information on the composition of the food in terms of nutrients, fats, sugars (or overall energy density) and other constituents. However, many people find this information difficult to interpret.1 Furthermore, take-away food is usually not accompanied by any information about its constituents or energy density.
Presenting information on the energy density of foods and drinks, which is quickly and easily understood by most people regardless of their educational background, would make a strong contribution to population health literacy. An effective approach would be to represent the energy density of the food or drink in terms of the amount of activity required to expend the energy contained in a typical serve. For example, the label may state ‘Walk 30’, indicating that 30 min of walking are typically required to expend the energy consumed in one serve of the food or drink. The consumer will then have an immediate understanding of the behavioural implications of consuming a particular food or drink compared with the alternatives. This behavioural labelling would not replace, but would be in addition to, current nutritional information.
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