The Regulation (EU) Nr. 1169/2011 of the European Parlament and of the Council on the provision of food information to consumers is applicable since the 13th December 2014.
The aim of said new regulation is to achieve a higher level of protection for consumer’s health, guaranteeing as well their right to information on food products which are commercialized in the territory of the European Union.
The main novelties are:
1. Easily visible information
The new obligatory labelling shall contain all information on the product in the same field of vision (said information could hitherto be distributed on the packaging) and shall be expressed in 100g or 100ml in order to allow consumers the comparison between products. The information shall be placed as well in a font size equal or greater than 1,2mm
2. Allergens
The label of packaged foods shall indicate information regarding the content of allergens, changing the letter, for a better legibility and differenciation from the rest information.
3. Vegetable oil or fat
Vegetable oil or fat shall be specified according to its type and hence whether it is palm oil, coconut oil, olive oil, etc.
4. Exemption for packaging smaller than 10cm2
Packaging which has an area less than 10cm2 is exempted from indicating the list of ingredientes. However, it is mandatory to indicate the presence of allergenics.
5. Date of freezing
The date of freezing or the date of frist freezing shall be indicated in the order dd/mm/yyyy, what supposes a novelty by imposing a duty to inform about products which have been freezed prior to their commercialisation.
6. Distance selling
In case of distance selling, the mandatory information shall be indicated before the purchase takes place and shall appear in the material supporting the distance selling. The responsability to provide such information relies on the owner of the corresponding website.
7. Exemption for alcoholic drinks
Alcoholic drinks are exempted from provinding the mandatory information and ingredients list, and therefore manufacturers are not compelled to inform about the composition of such drinks, except if required so by national rules in the member states.
8. Conclusion
The new regulation responds to a popular demand and is intended to renew, homogenise and order the existing legislation, adding value and information to the labelling of food for a consumer who is increasingly demanding a clear, complete and easy information.
Vilá Abogados
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19th December 2014
