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Label food correctly - 8 mandatory information for labels
Katharina Rösner
For reasons of consumer protection Must be loud Food Information Ordinance (LMIV) some Mandatory information stand on packaging or labels. Like you in your food business groceries Labeled correctly, we'll show you in this article.
Die Food Information Ordinance (LMIV) is considered EU-wide as Regulation (EC) 1169/20011 and defines the mandatory information for the labelling of foods that a food establishment places on the market.
Die Mandatory informationthat must be on labels are the Product name, the Product name, name and address ofthe food company, the Net capacity, the list of ingredients, the nutritional table, allergens, liquor- or Caffeine content, one user guide, additives, the provenance And that Best before date.
In addition to the name of the product, you also write the name of the product, for example Milky drink made from milk and aroma. For juice, milk and honey, the Name legally defined. Die font size For the marking of labels, it must not be smaller than 1.2 mm.
You must also specify the net quantity, which must be in the same field of vision, i.e. on the same side, as the product name. The actual filling quantity may fall below the net filling quantity, ideally it should not, of course. On average, however, the actual filling quantity of a product batch must not be lower.
In the EU, there are various food additives with the E numbers admitted. These are, for example, acidity regulators, emulsifiers, stabilizers, flavor enhancer, sweeteners, leavening agent, carriers, fillers, thickeners, release agents, antioxidants and preservatives as well as dyes. It is more consumer-friendly to use them in particular instead of E numbers to name.
The ingredients list includes all ingredients in descending order according to their percentage of weight in the product. This also applies to processed products such as pizza, where the ingredients themselves consist of ingredients. However, there is Legally defined foods like chocolate or jam, which you don't have to break down according to their ingredients. Chocolate, for example, is defined by its sugar content. If you want to market chocolate with less sugar than usual, you need to find out exactly what is possible and what is not possible.
With processed products The quantities of ingredients must also be stated as percentages. Die Quantitive Ingredients Declaration (QUID) According to LMIV, the quantity of defining ingredient as a percentage before. With strawberry jam, customers must be able to tell how much strawberry is actually in it. The ingredient with the largest proportion of the total quantity is first in the list of ingredients.
In addition, you must allergens Perform. That are milk and milk products or lactose and gluten. Cereals containing gluten must be listed. However, glucose syrup is based on wheat or barley and maltodextrins wheat-based, unproblematic and do not have to be mentioned separately. You also mark celery, sesame, eggs, fish, crustaceans, soya, peanuts, mustard, sulfur dioxide, Lupinen and molluscs as well as nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios and pecans. The ingredients used must be traceable in their supply chain. If you sell loose food, should you a separate list provide about allergens.
The nutritional values that Big Seven, state in tabular form: Calorific value in kJ/kcal, grease in grams, of which saturated fatty acids, carbs in grams and of sugar as well as salt and protein. The figures relate to 100 g or 100 ml. You can have them determined from a food analysis or calculate them from the number of ingredients used in production.
In the regionals direct marketing Can you also the nutritional values omitsif you deliver small quantities of food directly to customers. Since the small quantity is very narrow, you should still list it for the sake of customer friendliness. Since regional or hand-processed products often contain more nutrients than highly processed ones, you can use this additional information well for your product marketing use. Labeling is also mandatory if you sell the products online.
Information on ingredients, nutritional values and allergens is not mandatory for unpackaged baked goods. You should still make this information available to your customers in some way — via QR codes or additional signs.
Do you bring products to retailers or sell your groceries on online marketplaces, do you give that Best before date on. With fresh products such as fruit, vegetables and meat as well as with loose foods such as Baked goods However, it is omitted. For perishable products such as dairy products On the other hand, it is mandatory. The best before date is, of course, not the Expiration date to confuse. Perishable foods should be marked with the use-by date. In the case of meat, that must also Freeze date be declared.
Since the best-before date relates to appropriate storage, the packaging should also include information on safekeeping For example, +8 °C for dairy products. If you only enter the month and year, you also need a batch number. Die EAN Do you need if you sell groceries nationally, internationally or online.
Die LMIV It also provides information on provenance of the ingredients or products.
vegetables and fruits
For unpackaged or packaged vegetables, write on the box or packaging where the products come from. When it comes to processed fruit or vegetables, the origin is omitted, for example in the case of strawberry yoghurt.
Meat, milk and eggs
For both packaged and unpackaged meats Do you give that Country of origin on. Minced meat is an exception. The origin must only be stated if more than 50 percent of beef is contained. As soon as another ingredient is added, the labeling requirement does not apply. The identification also includes where the animal lived, where it was slaughtered and cut up.
When processed dairy products You don't have to specify the origin.
Even with eggs Your customers must be able to recognize the country of origin and the level of farming method. The number code for this is on the eggs themselves.
If you sell your food directly and regionally, you should region Define exactly so that you can also offer your customers a good shopping experience. Because, with a few exceptions, such as Parma ham, the Name not regionally protected. Coffee can be roasted in the region even though you imported the beans. The name is therefore often impossible to rely on.
Depending on what kind of food you sell, you also have to Caffeine content or Alcohol content specify and a Instructions for usehow to prepare the product.
certifications are sometimes mandatory for food businesses, others Seal of Approval but voluntarily. However, they look good on labels or your packaging.
Some seals and certifications are mandatory for European food producers, for example the HACCP certificate. This is awarded by TÜV and stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. You are required to implement the risk analysis at critical points in production in your company. The certificate also regulates room equipment, floor conditions, waste handling and training for employees.
Certification too IFS Food from the International Food Safety Is used by independent audit for safe food. This standard can also be a requirement to convert your products into a supply chain or to make your products available in various markets. Depending on where and how you want to sell your product, this certification also makes sense.
In addition to such certifications for your company, there are various seals for your food.
The Nutri-Score According to a survey by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, is the most consumer-friendly, but not mandatory. He was created by the Santé publique France registered as a trademark. To use it, you must register there. The score calculate You then yourself based on the nutritional values. The points from the desired nutritional values are deducted from the undesirable ones. The lower the difference, the higher the score. The algorithm behind this was developed by the Max Rubner Institute checked. The rating also depends on the type of food that you provide when signing up.
Do you want with organic or ecological products Do you have to advertise from an appropriate body certified be. An organic label is therefore virtually mandatory. To do this, send the inspection body a template of your labels. Since the organic label criterion is organic farming without synthetic pesticides or artificial fertilizers, it is not very meaningful compared to other labels.
others signet like Bioland, Naturland or Biocyclic vegan farming also value crop rotations with maincrop legumes, i.e. plants that fix nitrogen, or the use of flower strips to (re) restore biodiversity and reduce erosion. You are also not allowed to use fertiliser made from animal waste. Also the use of V-Labels For vegetarian or vegan foods, you should use them appropriately. The seal should not appear on the labels of products that you expect to be vegan or vegetarian.
You can't advertise that your product contains or does not contain a specific ingredient if this is normal in other products of the same type. This should be done by consumers before misleading Protect advertising. Do you use imitations for your food such as Analogue cheese or Glue meat, you should also write it that way on the packaging or labels.
Labels will not controlled. However, should consumers report errors, there are checks and warnings, which is why you should consider all necessary information. Die Mandatory information Regulates the Food Information Ordinance (LMIV). There are some exceptions and exemptions from the LMIV for loose foods and in direct marketing.
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