Labelling of pre-packaged food in retail
Labels on pre-packaged products are an important source of information for consumers. Since December 2014, European Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the labelling of foodstuffs has applied. This legislation ensures that pre-packaged food is labelled in accordance with best practice.
Pascal Brysse
The 12 basic elements
Labelling in line with best practice starts with the implementation of 12 basic elements:
- The name of the food product
- List of ingredients
- Indication of any allergenic ingredients
- Nutrition declaration
- The quantity of certain ingredients or categories of ingredients, the 'QUID percentages'
- Alcohol content by volume
- Net quantity
- Best-before or use-by date
- Storage instructions and/or conditions of use
- Instructions for use
- Name and address of the manufacturer or responsible operator
- Place of origin, country of origin
Check?
If you thought you'd be done with these 12 basic elements, you'd be mistaken. Additional elements are sometimes required, and not all basic elements need to be stated on every product.
A few examples:
- An indication of origin is not mandatory for tomato pulp, but it is for fresh chicken fillet.
- Conditions of use are not mandatory for milk chocolate, but the cocoa solids content must be stated on the label.
- Alcohol content by volume is only mandatory on drinks with an alcohol percentage of more than 1.2%.
It is also important to print the mandatory labelling elements in a font size of at least 1.2 mm. For smaller packaging, the font size may be at least 0.9 mm, depending on the legal conditions. Language also matters. The labelling elements must appear in the language(s) of the region where the product is sold on shelves:
- Brussels: NL + FR
- Flanders: NL
- Wallonia: FR
The purpose of labelling
The legislation on food labelling has a clear purpose: to provide the consumer with the correct information. It is important that the consumer has access to the basic information about a product so that they can make healthy choices.
National inspection campaign
The FASFC, the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain, carries out regular inspections. Shortly, from 11 to 17 June, a general inspection campaign will take place. By announcing this campaign in advance, the FASFC wants to make food businesses aware of the importance of a correct label for food safety. Let's meet!
