What does food product labeling involve and what is worth knowing about this subject? If you are a food producer, sell food products or import them – it is worth knowing how to label products and what legal bases food is subject to in our country and in European countries. Why is it worth outsourcing the labeling service to an external company for the benefit of your business? What does food labeling involve and what does it mean? What legal regulations does food product labeling subject to? You will read about all this in our article!
Labeling of food products – what does it involve?
Labeling of food products is a service that involves marking products with special labels, i.e. ones that contain information about the product, expiration date, packing date, bar code and batch number (in the case of e.g. serial products). Products packed in bulk must have a collective label, but if they go on sale as unit products, each of them on the packaging must have a separate label with all necessary information. Food labeling is the obligation of every producer of food products, which is subject to legal regulations. Product marking is necessary for each product to be properly introduced to commercial circulation and sold to consumers. The process of labeling food products is carried out in accordance with international standardization and national law. Labels on food goods are subject to certain regulations, which is why they must be created according to their categories and applicable Polish law. If you do not have time for self-labeling food products, need support in repacking food products or want to commission a food foiling and labeling service, know that we will be very happy to help you in this regard!
What information must be on every product before it goes on sale?
Labeling primarily covers placing all commercial information on the product packaging e.g. company names, proper names, illustrations or brand symbols that relate to the goods. It is also various types of information, inscriptions and detailed data e.g. substances that are included in the product composition. Product labeling is verified by the European Food Safety Authority. In Poland and in countries belonging to the European Union, two regulations apply to which food goods are subject: the Act on Food and Nutrition Safety of 2006 and the Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, which concerns the method of labeling food products of 2015. What other legal regulations do food products subject to?
- Labeling and marking of products of animal origin must take place in accordance with hygiene rules specified in Regulation (EC) No 854/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004.
- Providing information to consumers on food product labels is detailed in Regulation No 1169/2011 of 25 October 2011.
- The obligation to inform consumers about food additives is specified in Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on food additives.
- Customers also have the right to know the country of origin of meat, and this is specified in Regulation No 1337/2013 of 13 December 2013.
Law regulations vs food product marking – what is worth remembering?
Are you wondering what national regulations food labeling is subject to? These are primarily a few most important regulations that are worth knowing for the product labeling process to proceed flawlessly. In Poland, the most important legal regulations that concern product labeling are:
- Act on commercial quality of agri-food products of December 21, 2000
- Act concerning the change of commercial quality of agri-food articles and the act on food and nutrition safety of November 7, 2014, which is effective from December 13, 2004
- Act on food and nutrition safety of August 25, 2006
- Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development regarding the labeling of individual types of foodstuffs of December 23, 2014
- Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development on the detailed scope and method of labeling certain groups and types of agri-food articles with the production batch identification code of April 13, 2004.
Food labeling – legal regulation
One of the regulations that regulates appropriate marking of food products is Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002, which specifies general principles and requirements regarding food labeling. The method of food marking also relies on the European Food Safety Authority as well as procedures established in this regard.
- Act of December 21, 2000 on commercial quality of agri-food articles.
- Act on food and nutrition safety of August 25, 2006.
- Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of December 23, 2014 regarding the method of marking individual types of food products.
It is also worth bearing in mind that Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 regarding the provision of food information to consumers applies in all European Union countries. In light of the law, the Regulation is valid from December 13, 2014, but with the exclusion of certain product groups. Exceptions concern regulations for informing about products such as: minced meat (regulations regulating meat sale apply from January 1, 2014) and nutritional value of products, which applies from December 13, 2016.
Food labeling – what is worth remembering during labeling of food products?
The product label must contain very accurate, reliable and legible information regarding the batch number of a given series of products, information about packing date and product shelf life and information about ingredients that were included in the product composition. The more information about origin, quality and product preparation, the better for consumers. Data about the manufacturer cannot be missing either. Food products that go to food wholesalers must meet the following requirements regarding food labeling:
- Must have a precisely specified product name
- Specified minimum durability date of the product or use-by date
- Strictly defined storage conditions of the goods
- Full name of the company responsible for distribution of a given batch of goods.
Lack of labels on food products – what are the consequences?
Every food product that is introduced to circulation is subject absolutely to Polish legal regulations. Lack of respect for these regulations and e.g. erroneous food labeling involves exposing consumers to disinformation and serious health losses. Food producers who label products incorrectly are exposed to the necessity of incurring financial penalties. An interesting fact is that the amount of such penalties can equal thirty times the average monthly salary of a Pole. If you are interested in the product labeling service – check and use our offer.