Chocolate bars and other sweets are to have a "health warning" printed on the back of their packaging as part of a major drive to educate the public, particularly children, on their diet.
Echoing the health warning on the back of cigarette packets, the new labelling will include a panel for "rotating messages" in support of the government call for balancing lifestyle with activity.
Cadbury Trebor Bassett and rival Mars have joined forces in a £10m information campaign under the "Be treatwise" banner. Both companies will be changing their labelling over the coming months to include a detailed panel containing the nutritional content of their products.
This will include the number of calories, together with sugar, fat, saturates and salt content, along with the government's guideline daily amounts (GDA) of each. This will be colour-coded for easy reading and will also include a health message, such as "Be active for 30 minutes a day".
The "Be treatwise" campaign supported by two of Britain's leading confectionery manufacturers is being launched by the Biscuit, Cake, Chocolate and Confectionery Association, and comes amid growing fears over the rising incidence of obesity, particularly among children.
"People know and love chocolate and sweets as treats and understand that these should be enjoyed sensibly," said Simon Baldry, UK managing director of Cadbury Trebor Bassett. "Communicating our 'Be treatwise' message to millions of consumers daily by our packs is the most powerful way we can help people to understand and enjoy our products as part of their diet."
Cadbury was criticised three years ago when it launched a £9m campaign to persuade people to buy 160m chocolate bars, containing nearly 2m kg of fat, in exchange for "free" sports equipment.
Cadbury is Britain's leading confectionery manufacturer, with a 30% share of the £4.5bn a year market. It sells almost 1m bars of Cadburys Dairy Milk a day.
Cadbury said the new information will appear on all its chocolate bars and bags of sweets such as jelly babies, although it will not be seen on its popular Creme Eggs. "People don't expect to see it on a treat like that," said a spokesman.
