Next year will be a groundbreaking year for the food and drink industry as it faces one of the biggest changes to food labelling legislation for a generation, according to leading food and drink research organisation, Campden BRI.

 

The organisation which advises industry, including businesses, government departments and funding bodies on food and drink issues, is reminding food companies that there is now just 12 months left to ensure compliance with the European Union’s Food Information to Consumers (FIC) Regulation, before the December 2014 deadline. 

 

The new food and drink labelling rules are extensive and include, for example, mandatory nutrition information, improved clarity for allergen labelling, a minimum font size used on packs and an extension to the rules relating to country-of-origin labelling.

 

“2014 is going to be a challenging year for the food and drink industry as it faces sweeping, mandatory changes to product labelling rules,” said Steven Walker, the Director General of Campden BRI. “In a nutshell, it means that almost every food and drink label in the European Union will need an overhaul before the end of 2014.”

 

“There is no labelling ‘quick fix’ to ensure compliance. The changes are complex. There are certain exemptions to the general requirements and some exceptions to these exemptions. There are also a number of transition periods to observe and some new additional rules that are still not agreed. Now more than ever, food and drink businesses need access to authoritative advice and expertise if they are to fully understand and comply with European food and drink labelling laws.”

 

Steven Walker concluded: “Time is short for food and drink businesses that have yet to fully interpret the new FIC regulation, to understand how it affects them and begin the process of reviewing consumer information on product labels to ensure it is legally compliant.