A voluntary rating system on children's snacks will be introduced in the middle of this month to provide parents and youngsters with better nutritional information, a health official said.

The system is part of the Guideline on Children's Snack Consumption, framed by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Zhang Bing, a division director with the center told China Daily.

"The guideline is not mandatory," Zhang said.

"It just aims to provide advice and information on snack eating to parents, children and manufacturers."

A survey by the CDC found 60 percent of the children polled ate snacks every day and that their choice was heavily influenced by advertising.

They showed little or no awareness of the snacks' nutritional value, however.

Zhang said the guideline is intended to raise awareness among children and society as a whole of the need to eat snacks only as part of a balanced diet.

"You are what you eat," Zhang said.

"We should help children choose foods that are good for their health and well-being."

The new guidelines classify snacks into three categories.

Items such as cotton candy, chocolate pie and potato chips are given a "restricted" label, which advises against excessive consumption.

Black chocolate, coffee and dried preserved beef get a "careful consumption" rating, while milk, nuts, seeds and fruits can be consumed "frequently".

More information on the guideline will be made available to the public in the form of brochures, lectures and media reports, Zhang said.

However, some parents are calling for stricter controls.

Mrs Wang, the mother of a 7-year-old boy from Beijing, wants to see the introduction of a compulsory labeling system for snacks.

"Manufacturers should be ordered to clearly include the rating of their snacks to help people make the right choice."

The Ministry of Health is currently working on such a regulation, Zhang said.

(China Daily September 7, 2007)