Roxanne Rolando attended the Food Safety Network’s small supplier’s workshop, ‘What’s in a label?’ and was advised how to cover your a$$ (CYA) when it comes to the new labelling legislation (R.146) in accordance with the Foodstuffs, Disinfectants and Cosmetics Act.
The new labelling legislation (R.146) is not news, but the more it is spoken of the more we realise that there is still a lot to learn and a lot to be done before 1 March, 2012. And for a small food business, particularly, the stress involved in preparing for this gigantic transition is phenomenal. It’s also not news that the primary function of packaging is protection. There’s no doubt, however, that it has also become an important medium for advertising. So, what will the implications of the new labelling legislation be to this aspect of the food industry?
The Food Safety Network promises to provide the food industry with the tools necessary to maintaining high business standards and, with this in mind, the food labelling workshop, ‘What’s in a label?’, presented by Nigel Sunley from Sunley Consulting and Moira Beyers from Chil-e Food Consultants, was hosted by them in February.
Post-workshop, I started to ponder: who makes up the food industry? It’s obvious to include the business owners and producers as well as the packaging and labelling manufacturers. But what about advertisers and designers? Aren’t they as much a part of the food industry as, for instance, food technologists, quality-control personnel and the research and development teams?
Gone are the days of false claims and misleading information used as promotion. Gone too are the days of the ‘fluffy words’, says Sunley. No doubt the rules that need to be applied are weeding out the best from the rest. Still, one has to wonder what advertisers will do without ‘fluffy words’ like ‘natural’, such as ‘Nature Valley’ ‘granola bars’, or ‘pure’ as in the fruit juice ‘Pure Joy’.
‘There is a fine line between branding and claims’, says Sunley. And ‘claims cannot refer to anything not in the package’, states the R146. Is there ‘nature’ in the ‘Nature Valley’ muesli, and pure joy in a box of fruit juice? I doubt it.
For instance, the use of the words ‘health’ and ‘healthy’ was discussed. ‘What’s ‘healthy’ to one individual is not healthy to another emphasises Sunley, so the legislation prohibits the use of this word. Also a hot one to watch out for, says Sunley, is that the term ‘natural’ ‘has been so abused.
A lot of good can come out of this legislation, emphasised Beyers, a consultant as well as a qualified nutritionist. ‘All common allergens must be declared as well as everything that’s not a common allergen. CYA!’ she says.
Whilst losing the ability to use certain words is going to cause issues, being pedantic about allergen claims is very important. ‘This is not just about wording, it’s about life and death,’ Beyers stressed.
Dried milk powder is often forgotten to be as much of an allergen as milk is to lactose-intolerant individuals. When this ingredient is present, it must be stated that the product ‘Contains the allergen, reconstituted milk’.
Although there’s still a year to go, both time and money run out far more quickly than we ever expect. ‘Start to manage run outs now’, stressed Sunley, ‘and CYA!’ all the way.
Law abiding terms and dates
For more information, go to www.thefoodsafety network.co.za
