© Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015 Food labelling

Information is provided on the packaging of food and drink products to help consumers make choices between different products, brands and flavours. There is a legal requirement to provide certain information on food labels. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

The European (EU) Food Information Regulation (FIR) A new Regulation covering all aspects of food labelling came into force at the end of The majority of the rules apply from December 2014, with mandatory provision of back-of-pack nutrition information from December Previously, providing nutrition information was optional unless a nutrition or health claim was made. Front-of-pack labelling has remained optional. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

The European (EU) Food Information Regulation (FIR) The new Regulation specifies certain information that must be placed on food labels by law. A minimum font size has also been set for this information. The full regulation is available here: lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ :L:2011:304:0018:0063:EN:PDFhttp://eur- lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ :L:2011:304:0018:0063:EN:PDF © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

Information for consumers The following information must appear by law on food labels: name of food or drink; list of ingredients (including additives and allergens); weight or volume; date mark; storage and preparation conditions. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

Information for consumers name and address of the manufacturer, packer or seller; country of origin and place of provenance; nutrition information (compulsory on all pre- packed foods from December 2016). Additional information may also be provided, such as cooking instructions or serving suggestions. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

Name of 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. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

Name of 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. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

Ingredients All of the ingredients of a product are listed in descending order of weight, according to the amounts that were used to make the food. Food additives and water must also be included in the list if they have been added. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

Ingredients Allergens need to be highlighted. The amount of ingredients used in a product will also be stated where:  the ingredient (e.g. lamb curry) or category of ingredients (e.g. beef and mushroom pie) appears in the name of the food;  it is usually associated with that name by the consumer, e.g. lamb in shepherds pie;  it is emphasised by the labelling in words, pictures or graphics;  the ingredient is essential to characterise the food. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

Allergens Within the European Union, any of the 14 foods listed on the following slide used in a pre-packed food, need to be emphasised in the ingredients list (e.g. bold, capitals, highlighting). An allergy advice statement may also be used to direct consumers to the ingredient list for allergen information. If there is a chance that a food may also contain minute amounts of allergen because it is produced on the same line or in the same factory as other products that contain ingredients known to cause allergy, an additional voluntary statement with the word ‘also’ may follow, e.g. Also, not suitable for customers with peanut allergy. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

Allergens This enables consumers to understand more about the ingredients in pre-packed foods and are helpful for people with food allergies and intolerances who need to avoid certain foods. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

Allergens © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015 The most common allergens are present in: celery; cereals containing gluten (such as wheat, barley, rye and oats); crustaceans (such as lobster and crab); eggs; fish; lupins; cow’s milk; molluscs (such as mussels and oysters);

Allergens © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015 The most common allergens are present in: mustard; nuts (such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, 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.

Weight and volume © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015 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. The net weight or volume of a product must be within a few grams or millilitres of the quantity stated on the label. If the product weighs less than 5g or 5ml, the weight need not be stated; however, this does not apply to spices and herbs.

Allergens © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015 The symbol ‘e’ is used to show that the weight complies with the EU requirement for weight under the ‘average system’, i.e. the average pack is at least the weight declared. For solid foods that are presented in a liquid medium, e.g. canned tuna in brine, the drained net weight of the food should be included on the packaging.

Date marks © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015 There are two different date marks that appear on food labels ‘Use-by’ - found on perishable foods, e.g. milk, red meat, fish. Foods are not safe to eat after this date. ‘Best before’ - found on a wide range of foods including frozen, dried and canned foods. ‘Best before’ dates are about quality, not safety, and are reliant on the food being stored according to the instructions on the label.

Storage and preparation © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015 In cases where foods require special storage conditions and/or conditions of use, these must be clearly indicated. When necessary, instructions on how to prepare and cook the food must also be given on the label. If the food has to be heated, the temperature of the oven and the cooking time should be stated. Instructions may also be given for heating in a microwave oven. These instructions should ensure the food tastes its best and that it will be thoroughly heated to a core temperature of 75°C, which minimizes the risk of food poisoning.

Name and address of the manufacturer, packer or seller © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015 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.

Country of origin and place of provenance © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015 The label must display clearly where the food has come from if it would be misleading not to show it. It has also become mandatory to show origin information for most fresh and frozen meat. The origin of the main ingredients will have to be given if different from where the final product is made.

Country of origin and place of provenance © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015 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). The European Union also permits the promotion of Quality Schemes. In Northern Ireland, Beef and Lamb is produced under the Northern Ireland Beef and Lamb Farm Quality Assurance Scheme (FQAS). This gives assurances about food safety, animal welfare and care for the environment.

Back of pack labelling Back of pack nutrition labelling will be compulsory on all pre-packed foods from December Back of pack nutrition labelling is already provided on many foods. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

Back of pack labelling Old back of pack nutrition label Note that fibre, monounsaturates, polyunsaturates, polyols, starch and certain vitamins and minerals present in defined, significant amounts can also be added to the panel but it is not compulsory. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015 New back of pack nutrition label

Back of pack labelling Nutrients have to be listed in a certain order – energy (both in kJ and kcal) and the amounts of fat, saturates, carbohydrates, sugars, protein and salt (in place of ‘sodium’ which is no longer permitted). The information has to be given in per 100g/ml but can additionally be given: per portion or per consumption unit (e.g. per slice); as % Reference Intakes. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

Back of pack labelling Information of the following nutrients can be provided in a voluntary basis: mono and poly- unsaturates, polyols, starch and fibre. Information on certain approved vitamins and minerals can be listed if present in significant amounts. If a nutrition claim is made it becomes mandatory to give information about that nutrient even if it is not listed in the regulation. For example if the claim ‘high in omega 3’ was made then the amount of omega 3 per 100g would have to be given. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

Front of pack labelling In the UK, most of the major supermarkets and many food manufacturers voluntarily display nutritional information on the front of pre-packaged food and drinks. The government’s recommended format is red, amber, green colour-coding and percentage Reference Intakes. Front-of-pack information will remain voluntary under the new Regulation. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015

Reference Intakes The new regulations feature Reference Intakes. ‘Reference intakes for energy and selected nutrients other than vitamins and minerals’ are equivalent to GDAs used in the UK in the past. Reference intakes for energy and other selected nutrients are shown. Nutritional information can be provided as a percentage of the Reference Intake. © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015 Energy or nutrient Reference Intake Energy8400kJ/2000kcal Total fat70g Saturates20g Carbohydrate260g Sugars90g Protein50g Salt6g

Acknowledgement For further information, go to: © LMC 2015 © Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland 2015