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
20
3070
27k
20
Interesting. In Germany they now started implementing something called a food traffic light (not sure of the exact phrase). Basically colour coding packaging: red – really bad for you, yellow – okay in moderation, green – healthy. Obviously simplifies things a lot, but I think it is a great idea for your average consumer who doesn’t know much about nutrion. I think transparency is great, but still a lot of people will struggle to decipher what things are and what that entails.
Thank you for sharing that Annika.
It sounds like a good idea, but probably is a very relative classification in terms of ‘good’ and ‘bad’.
Chris