Legal issues
Mandatory information on the product label includes:
- name of the food,
- list of ingredients, with an indication of any ingredients or substances that cause allergies or intolerance reactions used in the production or preparation of the food,
- net weight of the food,
- use-by or best-before date,
- conditions of storage or use,
- instructions on use,
- data of the entity responsible for providing food information,
- nutrition facts,
- for beverages with an alcohol content of more than 1.2% of volume, it is required to indicate information on the actual volume content of alcohol.
Omission of the list of ingredients is allowed for foods such as:
- fresh fruit and vegetables,
- sparkling water (whose description indicates that it has been infused with carbon dioxide),
- vinegar,
- cheese, butter, fermented milk and cream (to which ingredients other than dairy products have not been added),
- foods containing a single ingredient, when: the name of the food is identical to the name of the ingredient, the name of the food makes it possible to clearly identify the nature of the ingredient.
Simple rules worth remembering
All this information is intended to avoid misleading the consumer. But how are ordinary people supposed to know exactly what all the presented data means and which of it is useful from a dietary point of view? Here are some simple rules worth remembering:
- The components are listed in descending order. This means that the first ingredient on the list is the most present one. If you buy products that boast high fruit or vegetable content on the label, check to see if they really are high on the ingredient list. Avoid foods that have sugar in the first place in their composition. Don’t be fooled by its other forms – sucrose, glucose-fructose syrup, fructose, glucose, maltose, lactose, maltodextrin or dextrins are also sweet substances that are better avoided.
- Nutritional value. Most often, manufacturers provide only basic information on the packaging: energy value, amount of protein, amount of total carbohydrates (including sugars, fibre), amount of fat (saturated fats) and sodium. As a consumer, you should pay special attention to the amount of saturated fats – choose products in which their value is the lowest.
- “Best before…” – a familiar term, right? It means that after the indicated date, the manufacturer no longer guarantees that the product will maintain the same quality. And now here’s a fun fact! Do you know why some products have the exact date on them and others only the year? It depends on the shelf life of the product. If it is:
- not longer than 3 months, the best-before date can be given as day/month,
- between 3 and 18 months, it can be given as month/year,
- longer than 18 months, just the year can be given.
Note! Exceeding the indicated date does not mean that the product is unfit for consumption. It is worth making a visual assessment and deciding individually whether it should go in the trash.
- “Use by…” – such indication means that the product should not be consumed after the given date (for example, dairy products, packaged meat, fish). It is also worth knowing that the date on the packaging applies only to goods that have been stored in the manner indicated by the manufacturer. Other ways of storage can cause food to spoil faster.
- Net weight. It is worth noting for economic reasons. Often products come in large packages that at first glance make you think that there is a large amount of product inside. This measure is designed to deceive the consumer, as usually large bulk packages have a better price. Meanwhile, once unpacked, one can be unpleasantly disappointed.
- Health claim – indicates the relationship between a food ingredient and its positive impact on the body. When issuing such a statement, the manufacturer is required to provide information on how much of a given product should be consumed to achieve the desired health effect. Before you are tempted to buy such food, consider whether the amount the company indicates is realistic to eat.
- Nutrition claim – any claim that states that a food has special nutritional properties in terms of energy or nutrients which:
- are found in the product (e.g. fibre),
- are found in the product in increased or reduced quantity,
- are not found in the product (e.g. the product does not contain sodium, does not contain sugar).
This opens a fairly wide door for manufacturers to make profitable marketing campaigns. This is because products with such a label are often much more expensive than those without it. Meanwhile, you may find that a much cheaper product, naturally rich in dietary fibre and containing no sugar or sodium, is lying on the store shelf right next to a product with a nutrition label. So an informed consumer does not need to overpay.
As you can see, the ability to read labels is very useful. Unfortunately, the vast amount of information on the packaging can be confusing when you don’t know what to look for. So it is worth considering the above-mentioned tips. They will not only help us choose valuable products with greater awareness, but also save money and reduce food waste.
References:
- Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to consumers.
- Food and Nutrition Safety Act of 25 August 2006. (consolidated text: Journal of Laws of 2015, item 594) 4. Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of 23 December 2014 on the Labeling of Different Types of Foods.