Shoptalk

But even for the rest of us, there are all sorts of pitfalls.

Do you know, off hand, for instance, how much fat is 'low'? What about three, five or ten per cent? Is 90 per cent fat free good? How much sugar is bad? What about fibre? Is sodium the same as salt? And how much protein is good?

Tricky, isn't it?

And all the time, our foods contain ever more fat and sugar. We're getting fatter. By 2020 one in three adults could be obese, with all the attendant problems.

So now the Government is considering making food manufacturers put health warnings on their packets such as 'High Fat' or 'High Sugar'.

Well, one company already does that. In a welter of confusing labelling, the Co-op is a beacon of good practice and a splendid example to everyone else.

Most supermarkets make a reasonable sort of stab at labelling. The information is there alright. But it's often in small print, so you're fishing for your specs in the supermarket aisle and causing a traffic jam while you peer at a label, especially if you have to work out sums and percentages while you're there...

Most flash the calories or fat content of their 'healthy' ranges. But otherwise it's difficult to judge the nutritional value of what you're buying unless you carry a mental check of what you should be eating. It is particularly important when you're buying ready meals as these can vary so much in the amount of fat and salt.

Marks & Spencer carry the contents right next to the guideline daily amounts - so you can see straight away that a Chinese meal might take up about 15 per cent of your calorie allowance but 60 per cent of your salt. But you still have to do the sums.

For instant information, the Co-op is already there. A quick glance at their labels and you don't have to bother with the small print or the sums, because they label the relevant ingredients high, medium or low. Brilliant.

They also put the nutritional information in decent size print on a clear white background so it's hard to miss.

The worst label we found in our random trawl was John West tuna - tiny gold print on a green background. You'd need to have the vision of Superman to sort that out. Chocolate bars are dreadful too - tiny print, invariably on the crease in the wrapping. They clearly don't want you to read how much fat or how many calories are in the bar.

So what is the point? If they think that meets the legal guidelines on labelling well all I can say - as my sons would say - is that they're having a laugh, aren't they?

If you want to know what you're eating, you've got to be able to read the label. What's more, you've got to be able to make sense of it, so many congratulations to the Co-op for showing how it should be done.

Let's hope the rest of them follow their example. Or we might think they have something to hide...

KELLOGG'S HONEY LOOPS AND CO-OP'S HONEY HOOPS

ALL the Kellogg's info is there - but in small print. Their top panel talks about "Sensible eating for a healthy lifestyle" with mentions of healthy bones, concentration etc. It also plugs the fact that Honey Loops are low fat. "Low fat foods are ideal for maintaining a healthy weight. Kellogg's Honey Loops contain no more than 3 per cent fat." Yes, but nowhere does it highlight the fact that they are actually 35 per cent sugar - which is an incredible proportion of sugar to feed to your child each morning. For every three spoonfuls of cereal they eat, more than one will be pure sugar. But they leave you to work that one out for yourself.

The Co-op's label, on the other hand, is nice and clear and easy to read and tells you instantly that yes, the cereal is low in fat, medium in fibre and warns that it is HIGH in sugar.

COCA-COLA, SAINBSURY'S CLASSIC COLA, CO-OP COLA

WITH Coca-Cola, the information is in among a welter of special offer promotions. Basic information. The legal minimum.

Sainbsury's Classic - clear label, easy to read, more information, including the caffeine count.

Co-op - all the above, plus a warning on caffeine amounts and also a warning to parents advising them to restrict sugary drinks for children and to get them to clean their teeth.

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READERS' TIPS

BOUGHT any Jersey potatoes this year? Maurice Heslop tried to buy some in a number of Tesco stores but they only had them pre-packed at £2.99 a kilo. He was told that it is not the store policy to sell them loose.

So he and his wife went to Billingham market instead and bought some loose for £1.40 a kilo - less than half the price Easy to see the moral of this tale...

MORE on insurance... Last week we suggested getting plenty of quotes when renewing car insurance. A reader from Newton Aycliffe wrote to advise other readers to do the same with house insurance. They had insured with their mortgage, had a bad experience when they made a claim so decided to change - and discovered they could get insurance for £250 cheaper.

"When we came to cancel with our building society, we were told that apart from the usual £25 fee (which the new insurer will pay), we would also have to pay a £10 fee every year for the life of the mortgage - a charge which could be raised at any time."

Needless to say, they are now also considered taking their mortgage elsewhere too...