This regulation brings together general food labelling and nutrition requirements into one European-wide piece of legislation.
The main points are:
- Country of origin – subject to further discussion, the introduction of mandatory origin information for most fresh and frozen meat. It will be possible for 'Scotland' to be used on food labels without also mentioning UK under new provenance rules. Also, the origin of main ingredients will have to be given if different from where the final product is made.
- Nutrition labelling will be required for most foods. Simplified information may be provided voluntarily on front of pack.
- Labelling clarity – a minimum font size has been set for all mandatory information on labels.
- Allergen information will have to be provided on all food (whether sold prepacked or loose). All allergens will have to be highlighted on the ingredient list.
- Drinks with high caffeine content will have to be additionally labelled as not recommended for children or pregnant and breastfeeding women, with the actual caffeine content quoted.
- Meat and fish products that look like a cut, joint or slice and contain more than 5% added water will have to show this in the name of the food.
- The types of vegetable oil used in food, such as palm oil, must be stated.
The EU has also agreed:
- To make it easier for alcohol companies to voluntarily include calorie information.
- To enable voluntary provision of calorie information in out of home settings.
- To continue to permit selling by numbers – such as a dozen bread rolls or eggs.
Reference: http://www.food.gov.uk/scotland/aboutus_scotland/pressreleases/2011/sep/...
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