Italy's opposition leader Matteo Salvini has directed his anger at the European Union over a proposal to use traffic light food labeling to help people eat more healthily.

The red, amber and green scale marking on products are used to warn consumers about the levels of fat, calories and sugar.

Salvini criticized the Nutri-Score system for being biased against Italian delicacies like Parma ham, Parmigiano cheese and olive oil.

Describing the label as a "secret plan" to single out popular local dishes, the former deputy prime minister and leader of the right-wing League party told Italian television: "These geniuses are thinking about putting red, yellow and green lights on food, deciding which ones are healthy and which ones are not."

Nutri-Score caught the eye of EU policymakers after it was adopted by some European countries and businesses. There is now talk of replicating the standard across the continent.

Salvini is not the only Italian politician resisting the move. The coalition government in Rome led by the Democratic Party and 5Star Movement is considering proposing an alternative blue battery scheme to Nutri-Score.

A derivative of the existing "guideline daily amounts," the graphic representation would show a battery with the charged part indicating nutrition levels in a single portion.