Some manufacturers, aware of the possible imposition of such a system in New Zealand, introduced in 2006 an alternative that lists the amount and percentage of "accepted" daily intake an average adult would receive from one portion of the food item.
It does this for energy, protein, fat and several other nutrients.
Now Sanitarium has come out with its own proposal and says its research has found that Australian consumers prefer it to the other systems.
It builds on the traffic-light system, providing dietary advice. Based on the food pyramid, it tells consumers whether they should eat a food item often, occasionally or sparingly.
It also contains two generally-positive categories - fibre content; and fruit, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds - as well as the traditional categories for nutrients people mostly need to reduce for healthy eating.
"The aim of any front-of-pack labelling system should be to help improve eating habits in line with other government initiatives," said Sanitarium general manager Pierre van Heerden.
"We have developed a concept that does that. It goes beyond ranking individual food nutrients and provides additional recommendations on the best way to incorporate a range of foods into your diet."
Dietitian Rob Quigley said: "Current food labelling is really confusing and only a very small number of Kiwis understand it. Front-of-pack traffic light labelling is a great idea and a big step forward - regardless of whose approach is used. Sanitarium should be congratulated for suggesting a new traffic-light solution. ...
"Its work now needs to be tested in New Zealand to see if it works as well for us as it does for Australians."
Food and Grocery Council chief executive Katherine Rich said: "It's a thoughtful addition to the current discussion about front-of-pack labelling schemes."
Green MP Sue Kedgley said Sanitarium's scheme would help.
"Consumers want to be able to see at a glance whether foods they are about to purchase are healthy or unhealthy."
