Food Labelling Design and Consultancy

On 25 October 2011, the European Parliament and the Council adopted Regulation No. 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers. This Regulation modified existing food labelling provisions and also amalgamates the current nutrition labelling rules.

A number of key changes have been brought in with this legislation including a specified font size for mandatory information, specific rules for product names where foods have been defrosted prior to sale or water added and specific rules for the declaration of food allergens not only on pre-packaged foods, but also food sold at a butchery or deli counter.

Under the new rules, the mandatory indication of country of origin or place of provenance was extended to the meat of pigs, sheep, goats and poultry. The European Commission has introduced rules setting out how the origin is determined and how this information must be indicated. Another key aspect is that nutrition declaration is mandatory on food labels, which prior to this legislation was voluntary, unless a nutrition or health claim was made on the food.

The requirements for general labelling of foods came into effect from the 13th of December 2014. An extension of up to 13th December 2016 existed for the declaration of nutrition information on foods, which has now passed.

Food Safety Consultants Ltd can provide a consultancy services to help you and your business address the requirements of the current labelling legislation. We can review your current product labels or labels for new product launches and provide you with the necessary information to ensure legal compliance.