Six months to Christmas… and mandatory nutrition labelling!
So, with just six months until Christmas – time to start planning your marketing, events and orders …oh… and don’t forget – your mandatory nutrition labelling!
That’s right – the Food Information Regulation (FIR) deadline will be here before you know it. 13th December 2016 to be exact! But, more importantly, you still have time to do something about it if you haven’t already put plans or resources in place to update your labels.
So then, a quick reminder of what is required. From 13 December 2016, it will be mandatory to provide “back of pack” nutrition labelling for prepacked food, subject to certain exemptions contained in Annex V of EU Regulation 1169/2011. These exemptions relate mainly to minimally processed foods and those with little nutritional value. (This does not apply to food supplements, natural mineral waters or PARNUTS because these fall under the scope of other Directives with their own nutrition labelling provisions).
You can read more detail on the requirements and presentation of this information in my previous blog post.
But don’t forget, if you offer food for sale via a website, telephone orders or similar, the mandatory nutrition information must also be made available before the purchase is concluded. The rules for mandatory nutrition labelling also apply if you supply prepacked food to mass caterers for further preparation.
So why, you may ask, have these rules become law?
The prime reason is to enable consumers to make informed choices about the foods they use to suit their dietary needs. The 2007 White Paper “A Strategy for Europe on Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity related health issues”, stressed the need for consumers to have access to clear, consistent and evidence-based information. Having nutrition information provided on packs assists with public health policies concerning nutrition education. Additionally, it’s presence on all products means it will be relevant for all shoppers in every price and product category.
How can I get the nutrient values for my products?
There are basically two options, you can send samples of your finished products to a laboratory for analysis, or the average values can be calculated using known values of the ingredients used and/or generally established & accepted data (such as McCance & Widdowsons 7th Edition).
AB Food Nutrition offers a cost effective, confidential and personal calculation service (contact anne@abfoodnutrition.co.uk for further information and quotes).
It’s important to remember though, that if you regularly make changes to your products the nutrition information will most likely be impacted and so another nutrition analysis or calculation will be required – something to consider when choosing which method you want to use versus overall costs. Additionally, any new products developed after the December deadline will need to have the nutrition information included on the label before you can launch it.
popular supermarket foods: Canned Tomato Soup, White Bread, Cheddar, Cornflakes and Chilled Ready Meals. Some were found to contain more salt that a Big Mac or slice of Dominos Pizza and bread is one of the largest contributors of salt in the UK diet. The Responsibility Deal is to blame. Since 2010, the food industry has been policing itself and little has been done to reduce salt in products. When the FSA were responsible, they set targets for 86 categories resulting in salt reductions that effectively saved the NHS £1.5 billion. Decreasing salt by just a pinch a day can prevent 4,000 deaths from stroke every year.
everyone not just hypertensives. Salt was the cheapest way to flavour food that had none or little flavour – so the food industry were concerned that consumers wouldn’t like it. One year later came the “Sid the Slug” TV campaign after which major retailers noted that consumer queries were mainly about salt. Reducing salt then became a marketing advantage, so despite a 15% reduction in between 2003-2011 it is disappointing that 20 years later efforts have slowed or reversed. More must be done whether it means working with industry or regulation. There needs to be more use of food chemistry/sensory techniques to look at salt alternatives more creatively. Salt is one of the easiest nutrients to reduce, but there should also be focus on fat and sugar – dietary disease is just as much an issue as alcohol and smoking.
purchases decreased one third. It is sad to see this has slowed – the Responsibility Deal has failed and we have seen those steps forward made going back again. It is hoped that when the Childhood Obesity Strategy is launched – that it will tackle high salt food. Labour opposition will do all that they can to make sure Government steps up to its responsibility. They will support Government in making sure messages are heard and in legislation if it’s needed because the public health gains are too important.
the biggest cause of death/disease. Nutrition was taken away from the Department of Health to the FSA – this was a great move in reducing salt in the UK. Around the world, approx. 70 countries have copied the UK plan with slight modifications such as regulation. Many members of industry would prefer legislation – as this creates a level playing field. Andrew Lansley restructured the health service, introducing the Responsibility Deal and putting the food industry in charge. This hasn’t worked. The latest NDNS 24 hour urinary sodium excretion result will be available soon and using this CASH will be able to calculate the number of deaths that should have been prevented since the control for salt reduction was taken away from the FSA. The Responsibility Deal was under the coalition government so is now finished and nothing is happening. Hoping that this year there will be positive news from the Prime Minister.
