News
Walmart launches 'Great For You' food labels
07 February 2012
US supermarket behemoth Walmart will begin labelling healthy food as ‘Great For You’ in a bid to help its shoppers make healthier food choices.
Foods to be marked out with the green and white sticker include fruit and vegetables, lean cuts of meat, brown rice, skimmed and semi-skimmed milk and eggs.
The ‘Great For You’ seal will also appear on signs near bins of fruit and vegetables and on some of Walmart’s Marketside branded products.
Additionally, 20-25% of its Great Value branded products will meet the criteria for the seal.
In 2009, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it would work on its own standards for health claims on food packaging.
“At the point in time that there is a standardised label that comes out from the FDA then we'll be happy to make a switch,” Walmart senior vice-president of sustainability Andrea Thomas told Reuters. “At this point we feel like our customers need help right now; we don't know how long that's going to take.”
In other Walmart news, Greg Foran has been named chief executive of its operations in China. He will replace Ed Chan who stepped down after a pork mislabelling scandal that forced many of Walmart’s China stores to temporarily shut down.
Foran has worked in the retail sector for 30 years and is a former senior executive of Woolworths.
David Hing, London