Last Updated on 23 April 2007

Sainsbury’s Supermarkets a 130-year-old British-based grocery store is promoting their new in-store nutritional label system.

A brightly colored pie chart graphic – they call their “wheel of health traffic labeling” illustrates in green good nutrients and in red those which are less healthy.

It is designed to “help customers make informed decisions about the food they buy and eat.”

In a TV commercial they tell customers that the greener labels are healthier for you and those with more red should be eaten as a treat.

Here is what the Sainsbury’s website states…

Most of our own-label products are clearly labelled with nutrition information to help you choose healthier options. And because we are committed to health, on many of these products we have provided various logos so it’s even easier for you to take control of what you eat.

Look out for our wheel of health traffic light labelling on Sainsbury’s products instore.

It’s our new way of showing you how much fat, salt, sugar and calories our food has to help you make healthier food choices.

It is easy to understand and to see how these amounts count towards guideline daily targets, which makes taking control easy.

As an American living in Amsterdam, I had never heard of Sainsbury’s. I’m impressed with the way they present themselves on their website… Including…

Sainsbury’s Values

  • Getting better every day
  • Great service drives sales
  • Individual responsibility – team delivery
  • Keep it simple
  • Respect for the individual
  • Treat every pound as your own

Sainsbury’s states they are…

…a leading UK food retailer with interests in financial services.

Sainsbury’s stands for great products at fair prices and our objective is simple; to serve customers well.

They have a progressive stance on high-quality products, supporting local farmers and producers, organic food, genetically modified (GM) products, and environmental responsibility.

The supermarkets were established in 1869. They offer around 30k products, with around 1/2 of those store brand and/or produce. They serve over 16 million customers a week and have around 769 locations which include 30 gas (petrol) stations and employ around 153,000 colleagues. Their locations offer more than groceries… also banking and insurance services, household and personal items, and clothing and homewares.