Key EU labelling regulation changes will be on the agenda when the head of regulatory affairs for Ashbury Labelling delivers a presentation on Provisions of Food Information to Consumers at a conference being held in Brussels today (30 November).
Lorraine Eve of Ashbury – one of the UK’s leading specification and labelling services companies – will deliver her address at 10:15 CET at the Food Safety, Health Claims and Regulation in Europe conference organised by industry think-tank C5.
Entitled ‘How the New Regulation on Food Information to Consumers Will Change the Way You Develop and Market Your Products’, Eve’s presentation will outline how the new legislation (EU Regulation No. 1169/2011) will mark a real change from what has gone before.
The session will focus on what changes manufacturers will need to make to comply with new requirements, the implications for consumers and how to overcome the time and cost constraints of the new regulations.
“The new EU legislation sees a key shift from allowing the food industry to apply its own voluntary labelling requirements, towards a mandatory approach to regulating food labelling information,” says Eve, “the biggest changes being the introduction of mandatory nutrition declarations and the setting of a minimum font size for labelling information.
“These two changes alone will have a huge bearing on those within the food and drink industry who not only need to adapt their methods to comply with the new requirements, but will have to fundamentally change the way they design their labels.”
The Regulation automatically applies to all EU member states, adds Eve. “It should result in a more consistent application of the labelling rules, making the marketing of food products across Europe simpler,” she says.
“This is especially important with the increase in distance selling over the last decade. If consumers do not have access to the right information, then they cannot make informed decisions about their own diet.
“Although the new regulation will no doubt create some challenges for the industry, hopefully it will demonstrate some real value to consumers that make the changes really worth it.”
The Food Safety, Health Claims and Regulation in Europe conference takes place on Wednesday, 30 November to Thursday, 01 December 2011 at the Thon Hotel Bristol Stephanie, Brussels.
