Clearer food labels. For the new labeling of food products the day of the debut arrives: next Saturday 13 December the producers will have to exhibit products in line with the renewed EU discipline which had a gestation period of no less than four years. An all the more welcome novelty that just as fairs and festivals dedicated to Made in Italy food are going on, the usual troubles emerge: counterfeiting, scams, conservation problems and so on.
The new labeling will help resolve them although there are still some gaps that have not yet been clarified, such as, for example, the indication of the production plant: if in fact in terms of food safety, there will be a further guarantee since there will be an indication of the batch of production, on the ethical and economic side of the choices, on the other hand, some consumer associations, such as CODICI, deem it appropriate that consumers should be clearly informed and aware of where and by whom the chosen food was produced.
In general, the new discipline brings about significant changes in the label, such as to clarify many previously omitted or only optional information, such as for example theindication of origin of pork, sheep, goat and poultry meat (regulation that will start from 01/04/2015 and currently implemented only for beef) or the methods for recycling packaging. From next Saturday, the obligation of nutritional labeling will also start. The energy value, fats and carbohydrates, sugars, salt and proteins must therefore be indicated. There will therefore be greater transparency in order to better safeguard the choice of the consumer and therefore his safety.
The newness
The regulation clearly states that the labels must be positioned in such a way "clearly visible", preferably on the front of the product, and not in marginal parts. As regards the size of the characters, a minimum height of no less than 1,2 mm is indicated, which is reduced to 0,9 mm only if the packages on which the labels are affixed have a surface area of less than 80 square centimeters. The regulation also examines cases in which the surface of the package is less than 10 square cm, clarifying that in that case only the main indications can be reported. As regards the data of the nutritional declaration, they must report both the energy content than the percentages of the elements expressed on the basis of 100 mg or 100 ml of product. The. must also be clearly indicated and highlighted presence of allergens; this indication must also be made with regard to i “unpackaged” foodsi", such as those sold in canteens and restaurants.
Naturally, the obligation remains to indicate the Expiration date, also extended to the individual internal wrappings, as regards foods contained in boxes. The regulation also indicates the prohibition of inserting "misleading" indications on the packaging, and clarifies that the appearance and description must be as comprehensible as possible, so as not to create confusion in the consumer.
The confirmations
Also confirm the indications already provided above, including the name of the food, the list and relative quantity of its ingredients and relative quantities, the terms of conservation and the expiry date, the net quantity, the name of who markets the product or its company name, country of origin, and instructions for use. In the case of products containing a volume of alcohol greater than 1,2%, also the relative alcoholic value.
Will the new labels be able to reduce the problem of food counterfeiting and scams? It is to be hoped so: just in these days two excellences of Made in Italy have come under fire again: olive oil and buffalo mozzarella. That this year the risk of counterfeit oil was very high, due to the low production of olives due to unfavorable weather conditions and the spread in various regions of plant parasitic insects, it was known. And in fact the Ministry of Agricultural Policies has discovered a round of false invoices for 10 million euros in four Italian regions (Puglia, Calabria, Umbria, Tuscany), relating to the trade of over half a million liters of extra virgin olive oil, for a total commercial value of 3 million euros. The operation, called "Paper oil", was coordinated by the Trani public prosecutor's office.
The Public Prosecutor's Office of Santa Maria Capua Vetere (Caserta) instead executed four pre-trial detention orders for two entrepreneurs and two veterinarians in the Caserta area. The accusation, for the production of fake mozzarella Dop, is of acriminal conspiracy, trade in substances dangerous to public health and food.
