The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says it now wants cakes, puddings and yogurts to carry front of the pack nutritional labels, even as it climbs down on key stipulations of its ill-starred traffic lghts labelling initiative.

The FSA has published fresh guidelines in an attempt to end confusion over front of food packet labels, which were discussed at its open meeting on March 10 in Cardiff.

Under pressure from Tesco and many of the leading food manufacturers such as Kellogg’s, the FSA has dropped the stipulation that companies have to use a traffic light warning system.

Instead, food companies will only have to print the words “high”, “medium” or “low” alongside the key nutritional information, and how much each category makes up of an adult’s recommended daily allowance.

The FSA has been trying to persuade the food industry to adopt the traffic light system for nearly a decade. However, many have refused to adopt the voluntary scheme, saying it is too simplistic.