Download Food product labelling A2

Food product labelling
Pre-packaged foods have information on their
labels which can help consumers choose
between different foods, brands, or flavours.
Much of the information must be provided by
law.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Foundation
How does it protect the consumer
• The primary aims are to protect the health of consumers and to
prevent food fraud.
• The Food Labelling Regulations 1996 require all food to be labelled
with:
- the name of the food
- a list of ingredients
- the approximate durability indication (life)
- any special storage conditions or conditions of use
- the name and address of the manufacturer
- places of origin and instructions for use
- where the labelling of a food places special emphasis on the
presence or low content of an ingredient in a food, an indication of the
minimum or maximum percentage of that ingredient in the food.
- make special provision for foods that are not pre-packaged, or sold in
tiny packages.
- additional labelling requirements for food sold from vending
machines
© Food – a fact of life 2012
- an indication of the strength of alcoholic drinks (% vol.)
- cautionary statements to be given with raw milk, skimmed milk and
full fat products
- additional labelling for food packaged in gas (durability)
- food containing sweeteners, added sugar
- prohibit claims that food has tonic or medical properties
- specific labelling requirements in the giving of nutritional information
for a food, whether or not a nutrition claim is also being made
• The Food Safety Act 1990:
This is the most significant Act which intends to ensure that food
should be in as wholesome condition as possible when it is eaten. The
Act prescribes legally enforceable standards of composition and
treatment and renders infringement a criminal offence. The Act
prevents the addition to food of any substance that would make it
'injurious to health'.
• The Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995 aim to
ensure that the same food hygiene rules are enforced in all
European countries.
• The Weights and Measures Act 1985
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Information for consumers
The following information must appear by law on food
labels:
• the name of the food;
• weight or volume;
• ingredient list;
• allergen information;
• genetically modified (GM) ingredients;
• date mark and storage conditions;
• preparation instructions;
• name and address of manufacturer, packer or seller;
• place of origin;
• lot (or batch) mark;
• nutrition information (from 2016 onwards)
Additional information
Additional information may also be provided, such as cooking
instructions or serving suggestions.
In the UK, foods sold loose are currently exempt from many of the food
labelling laws.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
What’s on a label?
Name of food
GM
ingredients
Ingredients
Weight /Volume
Date-mark
Storage / Preparation
instructions
Place of origin
Allergen
info
Name and address
Lot/batch mark
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Nutrition information
The name of the food
It is important that the name of the food must be
clearly stated and not be ambiguous or misleading.
If the food has been processed in some way, the process
must be included in the title if it would be misleading
not to, e.g. dried apricots, salted peanuts, smoked
bacon.
The name must also describe the differences between
apparently similar products. For example, ‘fruit yogurt’
must be flavoured using real fruit whereas a ‘fruit
flavoured yoghurt’ can be flavoured using artificial
flavourings.
Sometimes foods have made up names, e.g. ‘Bonzo’
which give no information about what is in them or how
they have been processed. In such cases, a description
of the food must be given.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Weight or volume
The weight or volume of the food must be shown on the
label. By comparing the weight with the price of different
brands, consumers can make sure that they are getting value for
money.
Some foods such as bread, tea and butter are only sold in standard
amounts. For example, loaves of bread are sold as either 400g or
800g.
The actual weight of the product does not need to be exact, but must
be within a few grams of the weight stated on the label. The
actual weight of the product must be within a few grams of the
weight stated on the label.
The symbol e is used to show that the weight complies with the EU
requirement for weight under the average system, i.e. the average
pack is at least the weight declared
If products weigh less than 5g then the weight need not be stated.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Ingredients
- Ingredients are listed in order of weight, according to the
amounts that were used to make the food, starting with
the largest ingredient and ending with the smallest.
- Food additives and water must also be included in the list if they have
been added.
- A new European Union (EU) labelling rule is being implemented in the
UK which will require 12 food ingredients - milk, eggs, peanuts, nuts
from trees (including Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts),
fish, crustaceans (including crab and shrimps), soya, wheat, celery,
mustard, sesame and sulphur dioxide – to always be clearly labelled.
- If an ingredient in the description of the product is featured in a pack
shot and other situations, e.g. Chicken and Ham Pie, the quantity of
the ingredient must be declared as a percentage. This is required as
part of EU labelling law, and is known as a Quantitative Ingredient
Declaration (QUID).
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Genetically modified (GM) ingredients
In April 2004 new rules for GM labelling came into
force within the EU. The presence in foods of genetically
modified organisms (GMOs) or ingredients produced from
GMOs must be indicated on the labels.
Foods produced with GM technology (e.g. cheese
produced with GM enzymes) and products such as meat,
milk and eggs from animals fed on GM animal feed will not
have to be labelled.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
For GM products sold 'loose', information must be
displayed immediately next to the food to
indicate that it is GM.
Small amounts of approved GM ingredients (below 0.9%
for approved GM varieties) that are accidentally
present in a food do not need to be labelled.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Allergy information
Within the European Union, any of the 14 foods listed
on the following slide used in a pre-packed food, need
to be mentioned on the food label.
This enables consumers to understand more about the
ingredients in pre-packed foods and are helpful for
people with food allergies and intolerances who need
to avoid certain foods.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Allergy information
The 14 foods are:
• celery;
• cereals containing
gluten (such as wheat,
barley, rye and oats);
• crustaceans (such as
lobster and crab);
• eggs;
• fish;
• lupins;
• cow’s milk;
• molluscs (such as
mussels and oysters);
© Food – a fact of life 2012
• mustard;
• nuts (such as almonds,
hazelnuts, walnuts, Brazil nuts,
cashews, pecans, pistachios
and macadamia nuts);
• peanuts;
• sesame seeds;
• soybeans;
• sulphur dioxide and
sulphites (preservatives used
in some foods and drinks) at
levels above 10mg per kg or
per litre.
Storage instructions - ‘Use by’ and ‘Best
before’ date
-
-
Information must be provided on how long a product is likely
to last once it has been bought and/or opened, and under
what conditions it needs to be kept/stored to ensure its freshness.
Following storage instructions can prevent food from spoiling too
quickly, reduce the risk of food poisoning and help to make sure that
it tastes and looks its best when it is eaten.
Foods which spoil quickly (i.e. are highly perishable) such as cooked
meat and fish have a ‘Use by’ date. If kept for too long these foods
can cause food poisoning even though they may not taste odd.
Freezing star rating system
A simple star system is used to indicate what temperature the food
should be held at and for how long:
* - 6 º C 1 week (pre frozen food only);
** - 12 º C 1 month (pre frozen food only);
*** - 18 º C 3 months (pre frozen food only);
**** - 18 º C or colder 6 months (pre frozen food; can also be used to
freeze fresh food from room temperature).
© Food – a fact of life 2012
‘Best before’ date
Other foods have a ‘best before’ date, after which
foods may not be at their best, with regard to flavour,
colour and texture, even though they will probably be
safe if they have been stored according to the
instructions on the label.
One exception to this is eggs, which carry a ‘best
before’ date. However it can contain the dangerous
bacteria, salmonella, so eggs should not be consumed
after the ‘best before’ date. New government advice
suggests that if the eggs are cooked thoroughly until
both yolk and white are solid, they can be eaten a day
or two after their ‘best before’ date. This is aimed to
help cutting down on food waste.
http://www.dayjob.com/content/shelf-life-of-foods-830.htm
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Preparation instructions
Instructions on how to prepare and cook the food must
be given on the label, if they are needed. If the food
has to be heated, the temperature of the oven and
the cooking time will usually be stated.
Instructions may also be given for heating in a
microwave oven. These instructions should make sure
that the food tastes its best and that it will be
thoroughly heated to a core temperature of 72ºC to
help minimise the risk of food poisoning.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Name of address, packer or seller
The name and address of the
manufacturer, packer or seller must
be stated on the label.
Consumers can then contact the
manufacturer if they have a
complaint about a product or if they
wish to know more about it.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Place of origin
The label must show clearly where the food has come from if it would be
misleading not to show it, for example, a tub of ‘Greek Yogurt’ which was
made in France.
The European Union has created three systems to promote and protect
regional food products. These include the Protected Designation of Origin
(PDO), the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), and the Traditional
Specialty Guaranteed (TSG).
- PDO: used for food produced, processed and prepared in a given
geographical area using recognised know-how, e.g. West Country
farmhouse Cheddar cheese and Jersey Royal potatoes.
- PGI: the geographical link must occur in at least one of the stages of
production, processing or preparation, e.g. Melton Mowbray Pork pie,
Scottish farmed salmon and Welsh lamb.
- TSG: highlights traditional character, either in composition or means of
production, e.g. traditional farm fresh turkey in the UK.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Lot (or batch) mark
A lot mark is a code which is required by law to
appear on the label. It helps to identify batches of
food in the event that they need to be recalled by
the manufacturer, packer or producer.
A date mark is sometimes used as a lot mark. Lot
marks may be indicated by the letter ‘L’.
Pre-packed red meat and meat products, for
example, must carry traceability information for
identification of the product through the supply
chain back to the farm.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Other information
Other information which may appear on the label
includes:
• bar codes;
• nutrition information (mandatory from 2016 onwards)
and front of pack labelling schemes;
• organic certification;
• food assurance schemes, e.g. Red Tractor;
• vegetarian certification.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Consumer information
Food assurance schemes have been developed to
compliment food legislation. They cover the food chain
from farm to fork.
An example is the Red Tractor food assurance scheme
It covers:
• cereals, oilseeds, pulses and sugar;
• fruit, vegetables and salad;
• milk;
• chicken;
• beef, lamb and pig meat.
Multi-ingredient products must contain at
least 65% Red Tractor certified ingredients to
be labelled as Red Tractor products.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Consumer information
The Red Tractor logo can only be used to label
ingredients from farmers, growers and food processors
that have been inspected and certified to strict
standards. Detailed technical standards that cover:
• food safety – makes sure your food is safe to eat;
• animal welfare – makes sure animals have everything
they need for a good quality of life;
• environment – makes sure farmers protect the
countryside by preventing pollution of watercourses,
soil, air and wildlife habitat;
• traceability – every part of the food supply chain is
inspected to ensure food carrying the logo is
accounted for and can be traced back to UK farms.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Bar codes
Many food labels have a bar code
and number on them.
This is not required by law, but bar
codes are a quick and easy way of
identifying items especially at
supermarket checkouts where the
scanner can also identify other
information such as the price.
Bar codes are also used for stock
control in shops and warehouses.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Nutrition information
At the moment, foods and drinks do not have to
provide nutrition information on packaging (unless
they make a nutrition or health claim about the
product). Where information is given, some rules have
to be followed.
However, provision of information will become
compulsory in the near future and, as described later,
there will be some small changes to the format
required.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Nutrition information on the back of pack
The current rules specify the nutrients that can be
included. The information has to be presented per
100g/ml, but could also be provided per portion.
Format 1: ‘Big 4’
Energy
Protein
Carbohydrate
Fat
(kJ and kcal)
(g)
(g)
(g)
Format 2: ‘Big 4 and Little 4’
Energy
(kJ and kcal)
Protein
(g)
Carbohydrate
(g)
of which sugars
(g)
Fat
(g)
of which saturates
(g)
Fibre
(g)
Sodium
(g)
Further information can be added to labels such as
the amounts of polyunsaturates, monounsaturates,
starch, cholesterol, vitamins or minerals.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Front-of-pack nutrition labelling
Most of the major supermarkets and
many food manufacturers choose to
display nutritional information on the front
of pre-packaged food and drinks.
There are two major schemes for front-ofpack labelling in place: traffic light
labelling and Guideline Daily Amount
(GDA) labels. Some packs may use a
combination of the two.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Traffic light labelling
Traffic light labels on the front of pack
provide information on high (red),
medium (amber) or low (green)
amounts of sugars, fat, saturated fat
and salt present in the product,
expressed per 100g/ml of the
food/drink.
This front-of-pack labelling scheme was
developed by the Food Standards
Agency to give an at-a-glance
indication of whether a food is a
healthier choice.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Traffic light labelling
Food Standards Agency
Sugars
Fat
Saturates
Salt
What is
high
per 100g
Over 15g
Over 20g
Over 5g
Over 1.5g
What is
medium
per 100g
Between
5g and
15g
Between
3g and
20g
Between
1.5g and
5g
Between
0.3g and
1.5g
5g and
below
3g and
below
1.5g and
below
0.3g and
below
What is low
per 100g
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA)
GDA labels include the Guideline
Daily Amount for certain nutrients
and the percentage (%) GDA
provided by 100g or 1 portion.
This can be used to compare
products and to choose the one
which best suits the consumer, e.g.
finding the one with the lowest salt
content.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA)
GDAs are not targets for individuals to
consume, but a guideline or benchmark to
help people make dietary choices and
balance their daily intake.
Usually GDA values for adult women are
used for food labels. This is because these
values have been developed for the
nutrients often consumed in excess, they
represent benchmarks that should not be
exceeded on a regular basis; however,
people’s needs do vary. Therefore, the
values for women are typically used as
these are slightly lower than those for men.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
A combined approach to front-ofpack nutrition labelling
Some packs may use a combination
of both the traffic light labelling and
GDA labels.
(Department of Health 2011)
© Food – a fact of life 2012
New labelling regulations in Europe –
the Food Information Regulation
A new Regulation covering all aspects of food
labelling, including the size of the letters on packaging,
came into force at the end of 2011.
It will make providing nutrition information on the back
of packaged foods compulsory from 2016 (previously it
was optional unless a nutrition or health claim was
made). Front-of-pack labelling will remain optional.
The format of nutrition labels will change slightly under
the new rules and companies can start to use the new
format straightaway, although the old rules (known as
the Food Labelling Regulations) remain legal until 2014.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
New labelling regulations in Europe –
the Food Information Regulation
Current back of pack nutrition panel
New back of pack nutrition panel
Per 100g
Per 100g
Energy
1500kJ/356kcal
Protein
9.9g
Fat
7.4g
Carbohydrates
58.1g
of which saturates
1.1g
of which sugars
16.8g
Carbohydrates
58.1g
Fat
7.4g
of which sugars
16.8g
of which saturates
1.1g
Protein
9.9g
Fibre
8.9g
Salt
Sodium
Energy
1500kJ/356kcal
Below 0.1g
Below 0.1g
Note that fibre can also be
added to the panel but is not
compulsory.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Health claims
Very prescriptive regulations on nutrient claims are now
in force across the European Union.
General claims about benefits to overall good health,
such as ‘healthy’ or ‘good for you’, will only be allowed
to be used if accompanied by an appropriate and
approved claim. This means that more general claims
must be backed up by an explanation of why the food
is ‘healthy’ or what makes it a ‘superfood’.
Labels are not allowed to claim that food can treat,
prevent or cure any disease of medical condition. These
sorts of claims can only be made of licenced medicines.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Nutrition claims
A nutrition claim describes what a food
contains (or does not contain) or
contains in reduced or increased
amounts. Examples include:
• Low fat (less than 3g of fat per 100g
food);
• High fibre (at least more than 6g of fibre
per 100g food);
• Reduced sugar (30% less than the
original product);
• Source of vitamin C (at least 15% of the
recommended daily allowance for
vitamin C).
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Health claims
A health claim may be featured on the
packaging if a food or one of its
ingredients has been agreed by experts to
provide additional health benefits.
Examples of health claims include:
• Calcium is important for normal growth
and development of bones in children.
•Beta-glucans from oats help to reduce
blood cholesterol.
•Xylitol in some sugar-free chewing gum
helps neutralise plaque acids.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Organic
Every organic food product needs to gain a certificate
from one of the UK’s organic certification bodies. This
certification can be found on a food label to identify it
as genuinely organic.
Foods may only be marked as ‘organic’ if at least 95% of
their agricultural ingredients are organic. Organic
ingredients in non-organic food may be listed as organic
in the list of ingredients, as long as this food has been
produced in accordance with the organic legislation.
In order to ensure better transparency, the code
number of the control body must be indicated.
© Food – a fact of life 2012
Vegetarian
There is currently no single legal definition of the terms
‘vegetarian’ or ‘vegan’ either at the UK or European
level.
Products displaying the ‘Vegetarian Society
Approved’ logo must fulfil certain requirements laid
down by the Vegetarian Society.
The ‘Suitable for Vegetarians’ logo is not regulated. It
is known as a ‘voluntary claim’, which means that it is
illegal for the labelling information to include anything
that is false or likely to mislead.
© Food – a fact of life 2012