Labelling must include nutritional information.
From 13 December 2016, it will be mandatory to include nutritional information on food product labels. This standard, which is already being followed voluntarily by many manufacturers, will provide us with information about the energy content of a food product and the proportions of certain nutrients: fats, saturated fats, carbohydrates, sugars, proteins and salt.
What must be included on the label
- The mandatory nutritional information must include the following, in this order: the energy content (expressed in kilojoules (kJ) and kilocalories (kcal)) and the amounts of fats, saturated fats, carbohydrates, sugars, proteins and salt.
- This information may also be supplemented with the amounts of monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, sugar alcohols, starch, dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals (if present in significant amounts).
All of the nutritional information in one place
The nutritional information must be presented in one place, in a clear table format and in the order indicated above so that consumers can see it all in the same field of vision.
Foods that are exempt from displaying nutritional information on labelling
Some foods are exempt from displaying nutritional information on their label. These include unprocessed and cured products that have a single ingredient, such as water, salt, spices, tea, vinegars, food additives, beverages with an actual alcohol strength of over 1.2%, food in packages whose largest surface is less than 25 cm2 (such as jam and butter packs used in restaurants), among others.
Unpackaged foods are also exempt, but many companies decide to provide voluntary information about the energy content and the amount of fats, saturated fats, sugars and salt, expressed per portion or per consumption unit.
Macsa can help you with coding solutions for food traceability. If you would like us to evaluate which system is the right one for your company, please contact us. At Macsa we have laser, ink and label solutions that can optimise the coding of your products with a high level of quality and reliability.
