Adding the five-a-day logo to the printed labels on food products can be misleading to shoppers, a consumer group has warned.
According to Which?, items with the logo displayed often contain high quantities of fat, sugar and salt.
Richard Lloyd, executive director of the group, has therefore called for the image to not be used on products with these "unhealthy nutrients", as it can make them look more healthy than they really are.
"Some of the labels commonly found on shop shelves, while not illegal, could hide the real contents of a product or be confusing to customers," he commented.
Which? has suggested that if a product contains a certain amount of unhealthy ingredients, the manufacturer should be restricted from displaying the five-a-day logo, regardless of whether it contains enough fruit or vegetables.
The group recently raised concerns about the use of "marketing inventions" on food product labels, such as fictitious place names being displayed on packaging.
Denny Bros Ltd, 21 February 2012
