Auchan Italia has launched an awareness campaign, 'La Vita In Blu', which aims to help consumers make sensible food choices.
The retailer says that the programme is based on consumer feedback and has been developed in collaboration with the medical and scientific community in Italy and 11 other countries in which the group operates.
Auchan evaluated more than 100,000 products in 12 countries, selecting items in each category that offer the best nutritional balance among proteins, fibres, vitamins and minerals, and contain a controlled amount of sugars, saturated fats and salt.
The range, Selezione La Vita in Blu, is already on store shelves in Italy, and the product selection will be updated at least every six months.
According to the retailer, the initiative aims to provide a wider choice for those who seek to follow a balanced diet.
Industry Opposition
However, Auchan’s initiative has created some controversy in Italy, with Federalimentare, the group representing the Italian food industry, describing it as a "totally arbitrary food assessment system”, reports Adn Kronos.
Meanwhile, the chairman of Italy's Ministry of Health food safety committee, Giorgio Calabrese, said that "Auchan's selection excludes many Mediterranean diet products”, and Roberto Moncalvo, chairman of farming association Coldiretti, warned about "misleading, discriminatory and incomplete" labelling systems.
For its part, Auchan Retail Italia has said that all of the products on its shelves are of proven quality, and that the selection does not aim to discriminate certain products.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
