Between Nutriscore and health warnings, 71 per cent of Italians want to choose what to eat

In an age of Nutriscore traffic-light labelling that separates ‘good’ foods from ‘bad’ ones, health warnings on alcohol product labels, just as is the case with cigarettes, not to mention the sugar tax to discourage consumers – based on the (as yet unproven) belief that those who cannot keep their weight in check will at least be more mindful of their wallets – Italians continue to prefer to make their own personal choices.

This is what emerged from the SWG research presented today to the Chamber of Deputies as part of the meeting, organised by the De Gasperi Foundation, entitled “The freedom to choose: between collective protection and individual rights”, during which the role of food regulations and public intervention in citizens’ choices was examined.

With this in mind, the SWG survey analysed the prevailing attitudes of Italians towards their food choices.

The research highlighted that 72 per cent of respondents believe that protecting the public should not restrict freedom of choice in the consumption of food products, whilst 71 per cent consider adequate information and proper nutrition education to be more effective than taxes and bans that might seek to promote healthier lifestyles by ‘suggesting’ or drawing a distinction between ‘good foods’ and ‘bad foods’.

Meanwhile, 71 per cent of those surveyed highlight the need to strike a balance between health protection and personal autonomy: 53 per cent believe that the rules are more acceptable when they are applied fairly to everyone.