Tag Archives: Department of Health

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 13/14 September

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines 

*   Cape Town Film Studios is likely to expand to meet demand for its facilities for the increasing use of Cape Town as a location for movies and TV commercials.  It is working at full capacity, and has had to reject 32 productions in the past year due to capacity restraints.    Two new studios are planned to be ready by next year, and to double its capacity by 2017.   Not only the location beauty, but also the wardrobe and set building services offered in Cape Town are highly regarded.  The Western Cape film industry was worth R 5 billion, and more than 7000 film permits were requested in the past year.

*   Tough new packaging and marketing guidelines protecting children under 18 years are being considered by the Department of Health for marketing ‘unhealthy foodstuffs to children‘, including those which are high in sugar, fat, and salt, and ‘nutrient poor food and/or non-alcoholic beverage‘.  Advertising, promotions, and TV sponsorships for unhealthy foodstuffs aimed at children will be prohibited, as will be the use of cartoon characters, celebrities, puppets, and computer animation in their marketing of foodstuffs to children.

*   The 40th Nederburg Auction yesterday generated R7 million is sales. The Nederburg Auction website has not yet been updated to reflect this result. (seen via Twitter)

*   Department of Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba announced on Friday (less than 3 weeks prior to implementation) that a task Continue reading →

Food labelling now more honest and detailed!

The new Department of Health food labelling regulations, Regulations Relating to Labelling and Advertising of Foodstuffs, No R146 of the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act of 1972, which came into effect two weeks ago, are a welcome benefit for consumers, in that labelling will now be far more honest with regard to product content and its health benefits.

Claims such as ‘fat-free’, ‘low-fat’, ‘100% fruit juice’, ‘0% cholesterol’, ‘wholesome’, ‘balanced nutrition’, ‘nutritious’, and ‘healthy’ are now illegal. The percentage of major ingredients in a product must be specified. A berry juice, called that and depicted with berry illustrations on the packs, must prominently display the berry as well as the apple juice content, the latter being the basis of most fruit juices. Even more importantly, any ingredient making up less than 2% of the content by weight may not be emphasised, reports the Cape Times.  Any implied health benefits of a product are illegal.  ‘High in fibre’, ‘low fat’, and ‘sugar free’ claims on packs must be supported by the mandatory nutritional table.

The regulations dictate that the name of the product must be a minimum 4 mm in size, may not contain a misleading photograph or illustration, must list the ingredients in descending order of weight, product claims must be supported by the nutritional table, allergens must be listed, the name and address of the manufacturer and/or distributor must be stated, the net content must be shown, the batch identification number must be displayed, a ‘use by’ date is mandatory, and instructions for use must be provided.  Claims relating to diabetes must be supported by low GI, lower fat, and/or lower sodium information.

Food retailers appear divided about the food labelling regulations, Pick ‘n Pay expressing its support of the legislation in that it would carry products with full information disclosure, while Shoprite is said by Business Report to be critical of the legislation, due to it being too complex, it being inconsistent, not being fully inclusive, and being ambiguous.  The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa is addressing the retailers’ concerns about the legislation.

Despite the implementation of the regulations having been known for two years, Pick ‘n Pay Franschhoek was out of stock of its Pick ‘n Pay-branded Greek yogurt yesterday, a manger saying that the supplier is fixing its packaging in accordance with the labelling legislation, and therefore the product will not be available for another two weeks or so.

The new food labelling regulations, which apply to dog and cat food too, are a welcome benefit for consumers, in that it will remove deception and confusion about products’ ingredients and their health benefits.  The regulations apply to advertising of foodstuffs too, preventing puffery and misleading claims in this regard too.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage

Food and beverage labelling and advertising to change radically

The promulgation of the Regulations related to the Labelling and Advertising of Foodstuffs in March this year, and effective in March 2011, will have a dramatic effect on all food and beverage labelling, reports AdVantage.  The Regulations fall under the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, 1972 (Act 54 of 1972). 

The change in the labelling and advertising regulations was the Department of Health’s response to the World Health Organisation’s Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity & Health.  Consumers will be provided with much more accurate information  on food labels and advertising, and it means that almost every food and beverage pack will have to be redesigned, says Barry Skjoldhammer, the Director of Labelling Solutions at Labelpak.  “The reason I say this is because presently no product is in fact compliant”.  He says that while the regulations are clear, there is a great deal of confusion amongst food and beverage marketers as to the exact regulations. 

The regulations aim to curb the over-exaggeration of claims, and the manufacturers have to back up all such claims.   The size of the font used on packaging has been regulated.   Claims about a particular characteristic of a product cannot be made when it already contains that characteristic – e.g. one cannot claim that milk has calcium, or that fruit juice has Vitamin C.

The regulations prescribe that the following can be communicated on pack labels:

*   Nutrient content

*   comparative claims – claims such as ‘lite’, ‘less than’, and ‘reduced’ are allowed, but are a minefield.

*   country of origin

*   date/batch identification

*   food additives – must be listed in descending order in the ingredient list.

*   allergens, such as milk, fish, peanuts, some cereals, uncommon allergens, and potential cross-contamination in the production process, etc., must be declared in brackets

*   nutritional information

*   amount of ingredients in product which are emphasised on the label

The Regulations forbid the following:

*   Nutrient function claims

*   Enhanced function claims

*   Reduction of disease claims

*   Pre- and pro-biotic claims

*   Glycemic Index claims

*   Slimming claims

*   Negative claims

*   Misleading descriptions may not be created through words, the logo or artwork on the pack.  “A word, statement, logo, pictorial representation on a product that implies, for example, ‘healthier’ will not be allowed if they are not linked to specific protocols with the Department of Agriculture.”

Labelpak worked with its client Fruitime, in changing the packaging to meet the new Regulations.  It had to remove the claims “no sugar added” and “contains real fruit”; storage instructions have been added; the fruit photograph had to be changed to reflect the contents in the ingredients list; nutritional information was added; the blend name (‘Tropical Blend’) met the minimum size requirement of more than 4 mm. 

The new pack labelling and advertising regulations should help South African consumers make more informed and healthier choices in their brand purchases, which is what the World Health Organisation wishes to achieve world-wide. 

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com  Twitter @WhaleCottage