Globalisation:European Food Information Council: Snacking is Good for You

On the EUFIC website the general advice on snacking is this - Avoidance of eating between meals is standard advice for body weight control, the rationale being that snacking leads to over consumption and thus contributes to weight gain. Some short term laboratory studies support this theory. Studies have demonstrated for example that when people are given a snack prior to a meal, the size of their subsequent meal is not affected. In other words they do not cut down on calories in the meal even after consuming a high calorie snack.

However, in a London Evening Standard article in 2001, it was reported that a newsletter had been produced by EUFIC advocating the opposite, that snacking could be helpful in controlling weight. The article reports - "EUFIC says that rather than consuming the recommended daily calorie intake in three goes - breakfast, lunch and dinner - people with weight problems should spread their eating to include three snacks as well. The key is to follow the "formula of eight". Each snack - midmorning, mid-afternoon and after-dinner - should be kept to no more than eight per cent of the total calorie intake. Eurocitizens should divide calorie intake thus: 12 per cent for breakfast, eight per cent midmorning, 32 per cent for lunch, eight per cent mid-afternoon, 32 per cent for dinner and eight per cent after dinner. For years the calories have been distributed at 20 per cent for breakfast and 40 per cent each for lunch and dinner. But it is better to follow the 'three eights' formula." This confusing advice appears to be in direct contradiction to EUIFIC's pledge on its consumers homepage to provide health and nutrition information that 'promotes consumer understanding'. It also highlights an apparent conflict of interests when you consider that a large proportion of EUFIC's funding providers are manufacturers of snack type products.