new rules on food labelling
The new EU Food Information Regulation which is directly
applicable in all Member States came into force on 13 December
2011. However, transitional arrangements mean that most of the
provisions will not apply until 13 December 2014 and the provisions
relating to mandatory nutrition labelling will not apply until 13
December 2016.
This Regulation updates and extends the current EU directives on
food labelling and nutrition declarations and replaces them with a
single regulation.
Key elements of the new Regulation are:
- ‘back of pack’ nutrition labelling of pre-packed food will be
mandatory
- compulsory country of origin labelling is extended to cover
meat from sheep, goats, poultry and pigs. In addition, where claims
are made concerning the origin of a food, further information on
the origin of the main ingredients will have to be provided if
these are different from the claim
- mandatory labelling of allergens is extended so that it now
applies to non pre-packed foods and foods sold in restaurants as
well as pre-packed foods. For prepacked foods, the allergens will
have to be highlighted in the ingredient list
- a minimum font size has been set for all mandatory
information on most food labels
- drinks other than tea or coffee with a high caffeine content
are additionally required to be labelled as not recommended for
children, or pregnant and breastfeeding women, with the actual
caffeine content given.
- the specific vegetable origin of vegetable oils must be
indicated
- ‘imitation foods’ where a normal or natural ingredient has been
substituted must be clearly labelled to indicate the ingredient
used for substitution
- ingredients present in the form of engineered nanomaterials
must be clearly indicated by including the word ‘nano’ in brackets
after the ingredient name
- consumers buying foods via the internet, text messaging, phone,
fax, interactive TV or mail order must be provided with all the
mandatory information that appears on the label before the purchase
is made
- foods that have been frozen before sale and which are sold
defrosted must bear the term ‘defrosted’ if not to do so would
mislead or if the product would not be suitable for refreezing as a
result of being defrosted
- in the case of meat and fish products and preparations that
look like a cut, joint, portion or slice, the name of the food must
include an indication of the presence of added water if the added
water makes up more than 5% of the weight of the finished
product.
