Food information should be made the responsibility of a single government department, a committee of MPs said.

Currently, provision of food information for consumers is regulated by six different departments and agencies.

But the Commons environment, food and rural affairs committee recommended a new 'cross-government' approach, headed by Defra.

In a report published on Wednesday, the MPs said the department should have responsibility for food information across central and local government, and for representing the UK at EU level.

The committee wants a speedy government investigation into the events which allowed the illegal dye Sudan 1 to enter the UK food chain.

Its report highlights particular concerns about the length of time the contaminated chilli powder is likely to have gone undetected by UK authorities.

Signposting

The report also calls for the mandatory provision of extensive but clear nutrition information, including daily guidelines for energy and nutrient requirements, on all labelling of prepacked foods.

And it urges the government to introduce front-of-label nutrition 'signposting', to set out a food’s health credentials 'at a glance'.

"Those who sell or otherwise provide food in the eating out sector must take responsibility for providing healthy choices to their customers, and for highlighting those choices as healthy," says the report.

"The government should work with the eating out sector to develop a 'green light only' nutrition signposting system to highlight healthy food choices."

Another recommendation is the creation of a central register of food assurance schemes to ensure the legitimacy of the standard-assurance logos on the origins and contents of food.

Gaping hole

The MPs identified a "gaping hole" in consumer information for non-prepacked foods, such as that sold in restaurants or food sold loose from supermarkets.

And the report suggests local authorities should have enough resources to prosecute food manufacturers and retailers who have the budgets to defend their interests, when they breach food labelling laws.

But the committee stressed that any change in food labelling must go hand in hand with better education about food.

It says little improvement in the public's health will be achieved without corresponding changes in industry practice regarding food pricing, portion sizes and product placement.

The report said: "Consumers are often faced with a range of contradictory messages about nutrition and diet, from a wide range of sources.

"In order to improve consumers’ knowledge and understanding of nutrition and diet, a broader education campaign about these matters is required, driven forward by both the government and the food industry, working in partnership with each other."