LABELLING OF A FOOD PRODUCT IS LIKE A SELF-INTRODUCTION BY WHICH YOU CAN FIND OUT ALL THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PRODUCT, FROM ITS NAME TO EXPIRY DATE!

Labelling has to correspond following criteria:

  • Labelling has to be well observable;
  • It has to be visible and clearly legible;
  • It cannot be hidden or covered by any other type of information or pictures;
  • Labelling text has to be written in official language of the country where product is sold;
  • Producer is not allowed to ascribe food products such qualities which do not correspond the truth, it cannot be said that products can prevent or cure certain illnesses or refer to such qualities;
  • Producer is not allowed to make any clues that particular food product possess special features which also possess other similar food products, as well as point out specific ingredients of the product and presence or absence of a particular nutrient;
  • Design of a product, either description, or a photo, cannot contain clues about the presence of a particular ingredient if it is replaced be the other ingredient.

Information requirements towards food products are also applicable to:

  • Advertising;
  • Way of presenting the food products, especially their form, appearance, package, package materials, placement and the environment where they are placed;

Extra information about the product can also be provided orally, especially about unpacked goods.

Mandatory labelling information:

  • Brand name of the product (including accepted or descriptive one);
  • Serving sample, especially form and appearance of the product, packing materials, placement and the environment where they are placed;
  • Percentage of the ingredient (if necessary);
  • Net mas or capacity;
  • Expiry date, or refrigeration date (if product is refrigerated);
  • Name and address of the responsible food business;
  • Product’s country of origin (in cases if consumers have suspect of its origin);
  • Terms of usage and storage of the product (if necessary);
  • Energy value and nutritive value (if necessary).

BRAND NAME

Brand name of a food product is a name which identifies to which product group particular product belongs. Name cannot be replaced by a trademark.

Product name is chosen by the producer, according to product’s ingredients. The main ingredient is the one which makes up more than 50% of the product.

Some extra notes are added to the brand name for determination of product qualities and what processing methods have been used in production, for example “dried”, “frozen”, “concentrated”, “powdered”, “smoked”, “cooked”, “processed”, “defrosted” etc.


Consumers have rights to know ingredients of the food products!
It is particularly important for people who are allergic to certain substances, e.g. hazelnut, gluten etc.

PRODUCT INGREDIENTS

Food producer has to indicate product ingredients on its labelling. Ingredients are listed according to their registration date during the registration process. All ingredients, processing aids, including food additives, flavourings and substances which are used in production process, or which may be found in finished goods and may cause allergies, have to be mentioned in the ingredient list.

Substances and products which may cause an allergy or intolerance:

  • Crops which contain gluten, e.g. wheat, rye, barley etc.;
  • Crustaceans and their products;
  • Eggs and egg products;
  • Fish and fish products;
  • Peanuts and their products;
  • Milk and milk products (also lactose)
  • Nuts, including almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, etc.;
  • Celery and its products;
  • Mustard and its products;
  • Sesame seeds and their products;
  • Sulphur dioxide and sulphites, if their density is higher than 10m/kg or 10mg/l of the total SO2;
  • Lupine and its products;
  • Molluscs and their products.

Ingredients do not have to be indicated for: fresh fruits and vegetables, carbonated water (if the label says that water is carbonated), fermented vinegar (if it does not contain other ingredients), cheese, butter, fermented milk and sour cream (if it does not contain other ingredients), and products which contain only of a single ingredient.

If food product contains one of the following dyes: sunset yellow E110, quinoline yellow WS, E104, carmoisine E122, allura red AC E129, tartazine E102, ponceau 4R E124 – labelling must contain extra information – warning “This dye or E substance may negatively impact activity and concentration of children”..

INGREDIENT PERCENTAGE IF NECESSARY

If labelling or brand name contains an ingredient which is pointed out, e.g. “Beef pâté”, then ingredient list has to contain percentage of beef liver. If product is called “Salmon and egg sandwich”, percentage of bread, salmon and eggs has to be indicated in the ingredient list.

Caution!
If a grocery product contains genetically modified organisms (GMO) and their amount exceeds 0.9%, product labelling must contain the following information: “Product contains genetically modified organisms” or – “Product contains genetically modified soya bean, corn”, etc.

Producer has to use extra indications in following cases:

  • If Crops contain gluten – wheat, rye, barley etc.;
  • If product is packed using packaging gases – “Packed in modified atmosphere”;
  • If Product contains sweeteners – “With sweeteners”. If it is aspartame, then there must be indication – “Contains phenylalanine”;
  • Drinks, (except tea and coffee) which contain more than 150mg/l caffeine has to be marked “High caffeine content”;
  • Food products which are not drinks have to be marked: “Contains caffeine. Not recommended for children and pregnant woman”;
  • If product contains liquorice, it has to be marked: “Contains liquorice” (in cases when it has not been indicated in product’s contain or brand name)

Alcohol contain has to be indicated “…%tilp(volume)” with a word “alkohols (alcohol) or abbreviation “alk” before it.

NET MAS OR CAPACITY

Net mas of products are indicated either in kilograms or grams, but capacity in litres, centilitres or millilitres.

It is not necessary to indicate net mas for the following food products:

  • Such products which can significantly diminish by weight and which are sold apiece or scaled in customer’s presence;
  • Products which weight less than 5 g or 5 ml (it does not refer to spices and herbs);
  • Products which are sold apiece, if pieces are clearly countable from the outside of the package or if amount of a product is indicated on the labelling.

EXPIRY DATE

Labelling of perishable goods has to contain “Use by…” indicating a date, month and a year (for example – 15/08/2015), or a reference where this date can be found on the packaging. If necessary, storage conditions, such as temperature, also have to be indicated.

For rest of the food products shortest expiry date has to be indicated with words „Use by…” or „Best before use….” or reference with a date on the package. Shortest expiry term has to be indicated in chronological order: date, month, and a year.

  • If product’s expiry date is up to three months – it is enough to indicate day and a month;
  • If product’s expiry term is from 3 to 18 months – month and year of expiry has to be indicated;
  • If product’s expiry term is longer than 18 months – month and year of expiry has to be indicated.

If a food product is a solid which is sold in liquid medium (e.g. pickled cucumbers, sprats in oil) net mas of a solid has to be indicated on the labelling. If a food product is frozen and glazed (e.g. fish fillet), glaze is not included in the net weight!

Product expires by the date indicated on the labelling. If food products are frozen (frozen meat, frozen raw fishery products), freezing date or reference where it can be found (day/month/year) has to be indicated right after the word “frozen”.

Always pay attention to product’s expiry date! Do not buy a product if it has expired! Do not use food products with short expiry date after this date. It can considerably harm your health!

Expiry date may not be indicated:

  • For fresh fruits and vegetables, potatoes which are not otherwise treated, but excluding sprouted seeds, and similar products, e.g. legume sprouts;
  • For vines, liquor vines, sparkling vines, flavoured vines and similar products which are made of all kind of fruits but grapes;
  • For drinks which per cent by volume is at least and higher than 10%;
  • For bread, pastries and confectioneries which are usually consumed in next 24 hours after they have been made;
  • For vinegar;
  • For common salt;
  • For solid sugar;
  • For sweets which are mostly made of flavours and/or coloured sugar;
  • For chewing gum and similar chewing products.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOOD BUSINESS (PRODUCER OR DISTRIBUTOR)

There has to be sufficient information about the food business, that consumer could contact it if necessary. Labelling has to contain information about the company – company name, address and telephone number.

Company’s web page address or mail box number cannot be indicated instead of company’s address.

PRODUCT’S COUNTRY OF ORIGIN OR PLACE OF ORIGIN

Indication of place of origin or country of origin is required in following cases:

  • If not indication of such information can confuse consumers about product’s real place or country of origin, especially if this information could indirectly say that product has different country or place of origin e.g. dried plums, country of origin – Turkey;
  • For fresh, refrigerated or frozen meat, for mutton, goatmeat and poultry;
  • For raw fruits and vegetables;
  • For honey;
  • For olive oil;

For treated food it can be a place, or country, where these products are produced or where the final treatment was made. For crude food – it has to be a place where this food was harvested. Trademarks which are used for labelling cannot deceive consumers about the product’s real place or country of origin.

If necessary, producer also indicates:

  • Special storage conditions or terms of use e.g. preserve in +20C to +60C degree temperature;
  • Detailed service instruction e.g. for instant soups.

CALORIC VALUE AND NUTRITIONAL VALUE

From 13th of December, 2016 it is required to indicate caloric and nutritional value for all treated products.

Mandatory nutritional value information has to include following:

  • Caloric value in kilo-joules (kJ) and kilo-calories (kcal);
  • Volume of fatty acids;
  • Volume of carbohydrates, including sugars;
  • Volume of proteins;
  • Volume of salt;

Caloric and nutritional value is referred to 100 grams or 100 ml of the product.

Nutritional value information can also contain such combinations:

  • Mono-unsaturated fatty acids;
  • Plural-unsaturated fatty acids;
  • Polyols;
  • Starch;
  • Fibres;
  • Any kind of vitamins or mineral substances in mg (milligrams) or μg (micrograms).

HEALTH AND IDENTIFICATION MARKS FOR ANIMAL PRODUCTS

  • Identification mark
    Identification mark is used for meat products, eggs, fish products, indicating recognition number of the company which have produced the product and abbreviation of the country of origin.
  • Health mark
    Health mark is used for carcasses (excluding lagomorphs and big games) for which pre and after slaughter health inspection has been made. Approved vet puts an ink-stamp or burning-stamp as a health mark on the carcass.

Information provided by Food and Veterinary Service

If you observe violations of the rules at trading venues, make a phone call or visit Food and Veterinary Service. Hotline – 67027402. Mention exact trading spot, company’s name, type of product and possible violation means.