Transcript DRAFT ONLY Food product labelling © Food – a fact of life 2009 Foundation.

DRAFT ONLY
Food product labelling
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Foundation
Learning objectives
• To recognise which information, by law, must
appear on food products.
• To recognise the additional information which some
food manufactures choose to place on food labels.
• To understand that foods sold loose are currently
exempt from many of the food labelling laws.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Information for the nation
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 2009
Information for consumers
The following information must appear by law on food
labels:
• the name of the food;
• weight or volume;
• ingredients;
• allergy information;
• genetically modified (GM) information;
• date mark and storage conditions;
• preparation instructions;
• name and address of manufacturer, packer or seller;
• place of origin;
• lot (or batch) mark.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Additional information
Additional information may also be provided, such as
nutrition information, 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 2009
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.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
The name of the food
The name must also describe the differences between
apparently similar products. For example, ‘fruit yogurt’
differentiates it from yogurt 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 2009
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 must be within
a few grams of the weight stated on the label. If
products weigh less than 5g then the weight need not
be stated.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Ingredients
Ingredients are listed in order by weight, according to
the amounts that were used to make the food.
The list starts with the greatest, and ends with the least,
in order of weight at the time they were used to make
the food. Food additives and water must also be
included in the list if they have been added.
Sometimes a particular ingredient is highlighted in the
name, e.g. ‘Prawn Curry: now with extra prawns’. If so,
the minimum amount of the named ingredient must be
included in the ingredients list, or next to the name of
the food.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
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.
The improved labelling rules provide consumers with
more comprehensive information about 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 2009
Allergy information
The 14 foods are:
• celery
• cereals containing
gluten (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 2009
• mustard
• nuts (such as almonds,
hazelnuts, walnuts, Brazil nuts,
cashes, 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.
GM food or ingredients
The presence in foods of genetically modified
organisms (GMOs) or ingredients produced from GMOs
must be indicated on the label. 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.
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 do not have to be labelled.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Storage conditions and ‘Use by’ mark
The label must say how long foods should be kept and
how to store them. Following the storage instructions
can prevent food from spoiling too quickly, can
reduce the risk of food poisoning and can 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.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
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 2009
‘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 can contain
dangerous bacteria, salmonella. Eggs should not be
consumed after the ‘best before’ date.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
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,
which will help to minimise the risk of food poisoning.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
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 2009
Place of origin
The label must show clearly the place 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).
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Regional food product protection
Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) is 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.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Regional food product protection
Protected Geographical Indication (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.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Regional food product protection
Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (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 2009
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
manufacture, packer or producers.
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 2009
Other information
Other information which may appear on the label:
• bar codes;
• nutrition information;
• organic certification;
• vegetarian certification;
• front of pack labelling schemes.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
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 2009
Nutrition information
Many food labels include nutrition information. This can
help consumers to find out the amount of different
nutrients in the foods and make a choice.
It can also help them to select foods based on the
amount of energy, carbohydrates, sugars, protein, fat,
saturated fat, dietary fibre and sodium they contain.
Food manufacturers are not obliged by law to give
nutrition information unless they make a nutrition claim,
e.g. ‘low fat’ or ‘high fibre’, but if they do, they must
follow certain rules.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Nutrition information
If they choose to provide nutrition information it must
be in one of two formats.
Further information can be added to labels such as the
amounts of polyunsaturates, monounsaturates, starch,
cholesterol, vitamins and minerals.
Format 1: ‘Big 4’
Energy (kJ and kcal)
Protein
(g)
Carbohydrate (g)
Fat
(g)
© Food – a fact of life 2009
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)
Nutrition information
Because information is always in one of the two
formats, it is easier for consumers to compare different
labels. Information must always be given as values per
100g or per 100ml of food. Values for a portion or
serving can be given as well.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
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 2009
Organic
Every organic food product needs to gain a certificate
from one of six UK Certification bodies. This certification
can be found on a food label to identify it as genuinely
organic. In addition, organic food products can be
sold in two forms:
Category 1- Products must contain a minimum of 95%
organic ingredients by weight before a product can
be labelled ‘organic’.
Category 2 – special emphasis: Products which contain
70-95% organic ingredients by weight can be labelled
‘Made with organic ingredients’.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Vegetarian
There is currently no single legal definition of the terms
‘vegetarian’ or ‘vegan’ either at a European or UK
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 it is illegal
for the labelling information to include anything that is
false or likely to mislead.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Front-of-pack labelling
The Food Standards Agency, has developed a set of
guidelines for the labelling of food on front of pack.
These are voluntary guidelines using ‘traffic lights’ to
make it easier for consumers to make a healthy
choice.
Traffic light labels on the front-of-pack provides
information on high (red), medium (amber) or low
(green) amounts of fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt.
The number of grams of fat, saturated fat, sugars and
salt in what the manufacturer or retailer suggests as a
‘serving’ of the food though the criteria are per 100g.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Front of pack traffic labelling
Traffic light colours make it easier to compare products
quickly. Traffic light label designs may look different
between companies, but they will use the FSA
guidelines.
This type of labelling has been designed for specific
products such as ready meals, sandwiches, pizzas,
sausages, pies and food products containing
breadcrumbs e.g. chicken nuggets and fish fingers.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Nutrition traffic light guidelines
Sugars
What is
high
per 100g
What is
medium
per 100g
Fat
Saturates Salt
Over 15g Over 20g Over 5g
Over 1.5g
Between Between Between
5g &15g 3g & 20g 1.5 & 5g
Between
0.3g &1.5g
What is low 5g &
per 100g
below
© Food – a fact of life 2009
3g &
below
1.5g &
below
0.3g &
below
Food Standards Agency
Guideline Daily Amount (GDA)
Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) are guidelines for
healthy adults and children on the approximate
amount of calories, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate,
total sugars, protein, fibre, salt and sodium required for
a healthy diet.
Some major food manufactures and retailers use this
system to provide front of pack labelling. These are
based on the requirements of an average person.
GDAs are not targets for individuals to consume, but a
guideline or benchmark to help them make dietary
choices and balance their daily intake.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
GDA labelling
This front-of-pack labelling scheme also highlights the
fat, saturates, sugar and salt content of food, and
displays the calorie content. The value for each of
these nutrients is shown alongside the percentage of
the GDA that this nutrient represents. Some GDA labels
also include traffic light colour coding.
Some examples are shown below:
© Food – a fact of life 2009
Review of the learning objectives
• To recognise which information, by law, must
appear on food products.
• To recognise the additional information which some
food manufactures choose to place on food labels.
• To understand that foods sold loose are currently
exempt from many of the food labelling laws.
© Food – a fact of life 2009
For more information visit
www.nutrition.org.uk
www.foodafactoflife.org.uk
© Food – a fact of life 2009