Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers http://eur- lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CONSLEG:2011 R1169:20131206:EN:HTML
REGULATION (EU) No 1169/2011 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, amending Regulations (EC) No 1924/2006 and (EC) No 1925/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Commission Directive 87/250/EEC, Council Directive 90/496/EEC, Commission Directive 1999/10/EC, Directive 2000/13/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, Commission Directives 2002/67/EC and 2008/5/EC and Commission Regulation (EC) No 608/2004
European Food Information for Consumers Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 • Brings together general food labelling and nutrition labelling into one piece of legislation. • Published in November 2011 – transition to the new labelling began. • Most of the general labelling requirements apply from 13 December 2014, with mandatory nutrition declarations needed for most prepacked foods from 13 December 2016.
Basic Principles • High level of protection for consumers’ health & interests • Food information should not be misleading and should be provided in a clear, accurate and easy to understand format so the consumer can make ‘informed’ choices • Assist in the free movement of foodstuffs – EU Internal Market
Article 1- Scope • Covers business operators at all stages of food chain concerning provision of information to consumers: • Food intended for the final consumer • Foods delivered by mass caterers • Foods intended for supply to mass caterers • Also applies to catering services provided by transport leaving from the EU Member States e.g. airline catering
List of mandatory particulars a. name of the food* b. list of ingredients c. ‘allergens’ as listed in Annex II of FIC d. quantity of certain ingredients or category of ingredients e. net quantity of the food* f. date of minimum durability or "use by" date g. any special storage conditions and/or conditions of use h. name or business name and address of the food business operator
List of mandatory particulars i. country of origin or place of provenance (where provided for in Article 26) j. instructions for use where it would be difficult to make appropriate use of the food in the absence of such instructions k. alcoholic strength by volume for beverages containing more than 1.2 % by volume of alcohol* l. nutrition declaration
Quantitative Indications • When the ingredient – appears in the name of the food or is usually associated with that name by the consumer; – is emphasised on the labelling in words, pictures or graphics; or – is essential to characterise a food and to distinguish it from products with which it might be confused because of its name or appearance .
Mandatory origin declaration • where failure to indicate this might mislead the consumer as to the true country of origin or place of provenance of the food. • for meat falling within the Combined Nomenclature (‘CN’) codes (Annex IV) – this means fresh or frozen pork, lamb, goat meat and poultry are now the subject of Commission Implementing Rules. • Also mandatory for • Virgin olive oils • Honey • Fish • Poultry meat imported from third countries
By December 2014 the Commission must provide reports on the possible extension of mandatory origin labelling to: - other unprocessed meats not already covered by mandatory origin labelling rules such as horse, rabbit, game meat; - milk; - milk as an ingredient in dairy products; - single ingredient foods; - unprocessed foods; - ingredients representing > 50% of a food.
Nutrition information • At the moment, foods and drinks do not have to provide nutrition information on pack (unless they make a nutrition or health claim about the product or vitamins and/or minerals have been added to the food). • However, nutrition information will become compulsory in the near future and there will be some small changes to the format required.
Nutritional Declaration The mandatory nutrition declaration shall include the following: • energy value (in kJ and kcal) • fat • saturated fat • carbohydrate • sugars • protein and • salt
Current back of pack format
New back of pack format
• The content of the mandatory nutrition declaration may be supplemented with an indication of the amounts of one or more of the following: – (a) mono-unsaturates; – (b) polyunsaturates; – (c) polyols; – (d) starch; – (e) fibre; – (f) vitamins or minerals present in significant amounts.
Front Of Pack nutrition labelling Designed to combine ‘Traffic Light’ and Reference Intake information
Legibility – minimum font size • Most frequent consumer complaint: small print on labels • minimum font size – 1.2 mm (“x-height”) – 0.9 mm largest surface < 80 cm² • Commission expected to introduce rules - on other aspects - for legibility
Additional mandatory information Beverages with caffeine content > 150 mg/l (other than coffee or tea) must be labelled " High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women " and quote the actual caffeine content in mg per 100ml. Foods other than beverages, where caffeine is added with a physiological purpose "Contains caffeine. Not recommended for children or pregnant women" and quote the actual caffeine content in mg per 100ml.
The Impact of Food Allergy The symptoms can include: • rashes (usually very itchy) • tingling sensation in the mouth • swelling of the lips, tongue, face and throat • difficulty breathing • diarrhoea • vomiting • abdominal cramps • and on rare occasions anaphylaxis
Food Allergy Figures The true burden of food allergy is estimated to be significantly higher than the hospitalisation figures might otherwise suggest
The importance of getting it right
Article 9 – List of mandatory particulars 9(1)(c) - Any ingredient or processing aid listed in Annex II, or derived from a substance or product listed in Annex II causing allergies or intolerances used in the manufacture or preparation of a food and still present in the finished product, even if in an altered form;
Headline changes in the law • Must comply with Regulation 1169/2011 from 13 December 2014 • Existing requirements for pre-packed foods are retained – but new requirement to emphasise allergenic foods in the ingredients list • Introduction of new requirement to provide allergy information for unpackaged foods • Up to individual Member States to set out national measures on how this should be done
EU list of allergens Peanuts Nuts Milk Soya Mustard Lupin Eggs Fish Cereals Shellfish Molluscs containing Sesame gluten Sulphur Celery dioxide
Additional mandatory information Substances causing allergies or intolerances: • No change in the list of 14 substances or products causing allergies or intolerances (Annex II). • Allergens must be indicated in the list of ingredients with a clear reference to the name of the substance or product. • In the absence of a list of ingredients, the presence of any allergens must be indicated by use of the word ‘contains’ followed by the name of the substance. • The declaration of allergens is not required where the name of the food clearly refers to the substance.
Additional mandatory information Substances causing allergies or intolerances: – The name of the substance as listed in Annex II must be emphasised through a typeset that clearly distinguishes it from the rest of the list of ingredients, for example by means of the FONT, style or colour . e.g. INGREDIENTS: Wheat flour , water, eggs , vinegar,….
What’s on a label? –prepacked food
http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/pu blication/allergy-labelling-prepacked.pdf
Article 44(1) – national measures for non-prepacked foods • Where foods are offered to sale to the final consumer or to mass caterers without prepackaging, or where foods are packed on the sales premises at the consumer’s request or prepacked for direct sale, the provision of the information about allergenic ingredients is mandatory
Article 44(2) – National measures for non- prepacked foods • Member States may adopt national measures concerning the means through which the allergen information is to be made available and, where appropriate, the form of expression and presentation
Interpreting the provisions for non-prepacked foods Article 44 – national measures for non-prepacked foods • Provision of information on Annex II allergens used in foods • Marked in a conspicuous place, easy visible, clear and legible • Oral provision also permitted, provided the FBO indicates clearly that such information can be obtained upon request. Any information provided needs to be consistent and verifiable
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