In a speech to health professionals at King's College London on Monday, Brown said: ‘Parents tell me of their frustrations with the different food labeling they find on shelves when trying to make decisions on what their family eats.'
‘We are reviewing the multiple labelling systems currently in use and I want to see consensus on a single labelling system, easily understood by consumers, which will deliver real improvements in the health of the country.'
At present there are two main nutritional schemes in use, the Guideline Daily Amounts system favoured by food companies including Kellogg's, PepsiCo and Mars, while supermarkets including Asda and Sainsbury's use the Food Standards Agency's traffic light system.
He also said there were plans to investigate digital food marketing. Brown said: ‘Because we know parents are concerned about excessive food advertising online or via mobile phones, the Culture Secretary, James Purnell, will be working with the industry to make sure the codes of practice are as tough as parents want them to be.'