Labelling Solutions Food allergen safety starts with the label
The correct labelling of food stuffs in terms of nutritional information and allergens is critical. But ensuring accuracy of labelling, while balancing cost and consumer safety is a challenge. Ken Moir, VP marketing at NiceLabel discusses how a cloud-based labelling management system can help food retailers, and the safety of its customers
T
he correct labelling of food in terms of allergens and nutritional
information is critical for the food and beverage industry, not just in ensuring manufacturers and retailers comply with relevant guidelines and legislation, but also in ensuring the safety of consumers. The European Union Food Information for
Consumers Regulation (EU FIC) that came into effect at the end of 2014 governs the way information about food and allergens is conveyed to the public. According to the Food Standards Agency, the body that enforces these rules in the UK, businesses that work with food have “a legal responsibility to provide the correct allergen information about the ingredients that is in the food you make or serve, to your customer.” The correct labelling of this food is vital as food allergies can cause illness and
16 February 2019
in some extreme cases can lead to death. As a result, the issue of allergens labelling
is a contentious one, and something that has been highlighted in the media following a series of high-profile incidents. While keeping consumers safe is a top
priority, is enough being done to ensure businesses are following the guidelines and are these guidelines comprehensive enough? Yes, the UK’s Food Standards Agency has specific guidelines around how food is labelled. But there is a difference between pre-packaged food, which needs clear labels listing ingredients and allergens on the packaging, and ‘loose’ foods (such as items wrapped on-site, including sandwiches and bakery items) where allergen warnings need to be displayed on the shelf-edge or conveyed verbally to consumers. Times are changing, as seen in the new
regulations set out in the EU FIC and more recently country-specific changes based on specific cases. There is renewed focus on tightening the law on allergens labelling in both the UK and the US. For the UK, whether those changes are incremental, small, large, or happen at all remains to be seen. For the US, however, nutritional labelling is being overhauled by the country’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and by 2020 (or 2021 depending on business size) the labels will look completely different, aiming to make information clearer to consumers and include new declarations and vitamin requirements to lower the risk of chronic diseases. Regardless which side of the pond
food and beverage companies find themselves on, the fact remains that they need to be able to not only comply with
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