- 08/03/2016
- Posted by: Marta
- Categories: Insights, News
Among the many innovations introduced by EU regulation no. 1169/11 there is one that tends to escape most, and concerns the mandatory information to be provided in the external, secondary or tertiary packaging, depending on the case. What news about the box, and why?
The external packaging to which the European standard refers (1) is the so-called logistic unit, that is to say that cardboard box or packaging in heat-shrinkable plastic that contains the individual sales units.
The mandatory information to be reported on the external packaging are those referred to in art. 9 letters a), f), g), h), listed below:
"A) the name of the food;
- f) The minimum storage term;
- g) the particular storage conditions and / or conditions of use;
- h) The name or business name and address of the food business operator referred to in Art. 8 Par. 1 ".
La ratio of the norm, in all evidence, it goes beyond the information to the final consumer. On the other hand, it concerns the traceability of food products and the operational management of segregations, withdrawals and recalls that may be requested in the event of food risk from a safety point of view (2).
In the case of goods destined for other EU member states, doubts have arisen about the languages to be used to provide the aforementioned information on the external packaging.
The company name and address responsible (3), on closer inspection, they can be printed on the external packaging without causing problems of comprehensibility, taking care only to specify the country of origin.
The branding is certainly useful - even if not foreseen as mandatory information - especially when it does not coincide with the name or company name of the responsible operator, taking into account the purpose of the rule which is precisely to allow the rapid identification of production lots possibly involved in corrective actions.
The particular conditions of storage and / or use, in turn, they are only mandatory "for foods that require special storage and / or use conditions"(Article 25 paragraph 1), that is to say where particular caution is relevant for the purposes of consuming the food in safe conditions (eg storage between 0 and 4 ° C, cooking fresh meat), or for the purposes of maintenance of the organoleptic conditions (eg storage protected from sources of light and heat for olive oil and preserves in oil).
On the name of the food and TMC / expiry date (as well as for the particular conditions of conservation and / or use, only in cases where they are necessary) therefore the linguistic question essentially concerns itself. And how to deal with it? As always, with the help of our team!
Dario Dongo
Footnotes:
(1) reg. EU 1169/11, art. 8, point 7, last paragraph
(2) reg. CE 178/02, articles 18 and 19
(3) the owner of the trademark under which the products are sold, pursuant to art. 8, reg. EU 1169/11
