New Food Labelling Changes - EU Regulation 1169-2011

The regulation's main objective is to simplify the maze of EU labelling rules and to introduce new requirements.

The European Regulation 1169/2011 was published on the 25th October 2011 and combines all previous EU regulations related to general food labelling, which over the years have become extremely complex. 

It is in the process of being enforced in two stages:

• From December 13, 2014: Products sold on the market have to comply with the Regulation (the nutrition declaration is still on a voluntary basis unless a specific product claim is made, but from the 13th December it must appear in the new format as detailed below).
• By December 16, 2016: Total application of the regulation must be in place: including nutritional labelling which will be mandatory.

Changes related to the Regulation:

The new requirements:

• There have been changes made to the mandatory requirements - these requirements must be easily visible, legible, indelible and have a minimum font size of 1.2mm
• Allergens must be emphasised in the list of ingredients using a specific type set that clearly distinguishes them from the rest of the ingredients
• The trade name, net quantity and actual alcoholic strength of alcoholic beverages containing more than 1.2% alcohol by volume, should be in the same visual field

New mandatory particulars:

• The nutrition declaration (with exceptions) must be listed in a specific order and in a unique presentation: energy, fat, fatty acids, carbohydrates, sugars, protein and salt
• The country of origin is extended to certain meats
• The date indication is required for frozen meat, prepared meats and unprocessed fish products
• The word "frozen" is mandatory for all commodities (except in special cases: Cf Annex III of the Regulation) which have been frozen and are sold as defrosted
• Manufactured nanomaterials must be included in the list of ingredients

In line with our food labelling service, Intertek has a network of experts to help you meet the demands of your markets.

The Intertek solution:

• The guarantee that your label conforms to forthcoming regulations
• A network of experts who are recognised worldwide for the quality of their services
• A personalised service tailored to your specific requirements