A Major Food Brand Says You Should Only Eat Its Pasta Sauce Once a Week or Less

With the world fatter than ever, nutritionists and government agencies are struggling to figure out how to label foods so consumers know what they're getting into. Some are proposing nutrition labels that show how much exercise is needed to burn off what you're about to cram in your face, and the FDA has suggested a label overhaul that includes a much more prominent display of calorie counts. Hell, even booze is beginning to get nutrition labels.

While nutritional experts and bureaucrats are handwringing and quibbling about how to label foods, Mars Inc. just blew right by them and announced they'll start labeling some of their products that are high in fat, sugar, and salt as fit for consumption only once a week.

Some of Mars' Dolmio pastas and pasta sauces, a brand sold in the UK, will feature labels that state they are best fit for "occasional" consumption. Pesto, carbonara, creamy tomato, and lasagna sauces will earn the label, as will macaroni and cheese oven kits. They'll stand in contrast to other products, like Uncle Ben's Rice, that will be labeled "everyday."

Some may be surprised that something like pesto isn't actually all that healthy—"Hey, it's green!" But make your own, and you'll see that that jar of pesto is really an ungodly and delicious vessel of olive oil and cheese.

Mars makes all kinds of products, but is best known for its candy, like M&Ms and Snickers. The new labels won't apply to the candy brands that, hopefully, aren't part of everyday diets.

The labels will launch in the UK with Uncle Ben's and Dolmio but will roll out in markets globally wherever the brands are sold. As part of a five-year plan, Mars will reformulate many of its products, reducing fat, salt and sugar and introducing more whole grain and vegetable options for its Uncle Ben's rice offerings.

Britain's National Obesity Forum called the move "hugely unusual" and "very imaginative." But you can't please everybody. The group Campaign for Action on Salt called the labels "unambitious."

Mars is getting a head start as nutrition is facing increasing scrutiny around the world, but especially in the UK. In Britain, public officials have been considering a tax on sugary drinks. Later this year, the British government will release a dedicated plan to fight childhood obesity.

Eating habits can be formed at an early age, so getting kids to understand the importance of eating healthy is key. And, if those kids are in good shape, maybe their parents won't feel so bad about giving them an occasional candy bar—perhaps, say, a Snickers.