EAS Strategic advice on nutritional products

Nutrition Labelling and SFDA/GSO

Health Claims for Food Products Training Course
Riyadh – 8-9 December 2012

General Introduction to
Nutrition Labelling

Rola Arab Miguel Fernandes da Silva

Advisor, Health and Nutrition Policy Global Director, Health and Nutrition Policy
[email protected] [email protected]
EAS Strategic Advice Europe EAS Strategic Advice Pte Ltd
Rue de l'Association 50, 1000 Brussels Belgium 3 Killiney Road, #07-04 Winsland House 1, Singapore 239519
Tel: (+32 2) 218 14 70 - Fax: (+32 2) 219 73 42 Tel: (+65 6) 838 12 70 - Fax: (+65 6) 835 95 36
Email: [email protected] www.eas.eu Email: [email protected] - www.eas.asia
EAS Strategic advice on nutritional products

Contents

1. Nutrition Labelling - General Introduction

• Codex Alimentarius Standards

• Overview of policy and regulatory developments worldwide

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General introduction to nutrition labelling

With the current growing trends of obesity and diabetes

globally, there is a strong focus on the importance of nutrition
and on raising consumer awareness about what they eat!

Nutrition labelling aims to help

consumers choose food products
that can contribute to a healthy diet

Nutrition labelling helps consumers

compare the nutrient content of
similar foods and avoid, for example,
food products containing too high
amounts of fat, sugar, salt

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General introduction to nutrition labelling

Health authorities are raising consumer awareness on the importance of

Reading food labels

Maintaining a balanced and healthy diet

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What is a Food Label?

=> Any tag, brand, mark, pictorial or other descriptive matter, written,
printed, stenciled, marked, embossed or impressed on, or attached to a
container of food (Codex Alimentarius)

Source: NSW food authority

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Nutrition Labelling – Definition & purpose

 Nutrition Label is part of a food label and informs

consumers of nutritional properties of a food

 Nutrition labelling is any information on the label

relating to the energy value or the following nutrients:
Product X
proteins, carbohydrates, fat, dietary fibres,
sodium, vitamins and minerals (EU)

 The description or presentation of information on

the product should be in no way false, misleading,
deceptive or insignificant
 Depending on the regulation of the countries,
nutrition labelling may be mandatory or voluntary
 In some cases, nutrition labelling is voluntary
unless the food bears a nutrition claim and/or the food
has a special dietary use

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General introduction to nutrition labelling

Importance of Nutrition Labelling

=> For consumers

• To assess the nutritive value of any given food

• To select products that meet individual needs and preferences
• To compare products, make informed choices

=> For the food industry

• To inform the consumer about the nutritional content of food

• To introduce healthier products alternatives to meet consumers‟ needs
• To use sound nutrition principles in formulation of foods which benefit public health and
including (if necessary) supplementary nutrition information on labels

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General introduction to nutrition labelling

The different kinds of nutrition information found on food labels

• Nutrition Facts INGREDIENTS: Whole wheat,

wheat bran, sugar/glucose-fructose,
salt, malt (corn flour, malted barley),
vitamins (thiamine hydrochloride,
pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, d-
• List of Ingredients calcium pantothenate), minerals (iron,
zinc oxide).

• Nutrition Claims “Good source of fibre”

• Health Claims „‟Wheat bran fibre contributes to an

acceleration of intestinal transit‟‟

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 CODEX Alimentarius EAS

185
members
Run jointly by WHO + EU
and FAO

OBSERVERS

Goals:
- Protect consumers‟ health
- Ensure fair practices in food trade

=> Favours global harmonisation

Develops Standards / Guidelines / Codes of

Practices/ Recommendations

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 CODEX Alimentarius EAS

• Internationally recognized standards, codes of practice,

guidelines and other recommendations relating to foods, food
production, and food safety

• Codex Guidelines and standards are used as a benchmark

for regional/national legislation and even in World Trade
Organization (WTO) disputes

• Products conforming to Codex Standards move more freely

in international trade

• Standards for specific foods and general standards (e.g food

labelling, food additives)

• Under the Codex guidelines a certain degree of flexibility is

allowed in setting different national standards

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Codex Labelling Standards

Codex General Labelling Provisions

• General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods (Codex Stan 1- 1985/revised 1991, 1999, 2001, 2003)

• Guidelines for Nutrition Labelling (CAC/GL 2-1985/revised 1993,2011- Amended 2003,2006, 2009, 2010, 2012. Annex 2011 )

• Guidelines for the Use of Health and Nutrition Claims (CAC/GL 23-1997/ revised 2004)

• General Guidelines on Claims (CAC/GL 1-1979) (1991)

• General Standard for the Labelling of Food Additives when Sold as Such (Codex Stan 107-1981)

• General Standard for the Labelling of and Claims for Prepackaged Foods for Special Dietary Uses (Codex Stan 146-1985)

• Codex Standard for the Labelling of and Claims for Foods for Special Medical Purposes (Codex Stan 180-1991)

• General Guidelines for the Use of the Term „Halal‟ (CAC/GL 24-1997)

• Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Marketing and Labelling of Organically Produced Foods (CAC/GL 32-1999)

+ Specific standards (fats and oils, milk products, use of dairy terms, fishery products etc...)

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Codex committees

Committee on Nutrition and

Foods for Special Dietary Uses Codex Committee on Food
(CCNFSDU) Labeling (CCFL)

• Study specific nutritional problems and advise the • Draft provisions on labelling applicable to all foods;
Commission on general nutrition issues;
• Consider, amend, endorse draft specific provisions
• Draft general provisions concerning the nutritional on labelling prepared by the Codex Committees
aspects of all foods drafting standards, codes of practice and guidelines;

• Develop standards, guidelines and related texts for

• Study specific labelling problems assigned to it by
foods for special dietary uses, in cooperation with
the Commission;
other committees where necessary

• Consider, amend, and endorse provisions on • Study problems associated with advertisement of
nutritional aspects proposed for inclusion in Codex food with particular reference to claims and
standards, guidelines and related texts misleading descriptions

+ Other Codex Committees: Labelling provisions for individual foods in

specific standards (fats and oils, milk products, fishery products etc...)
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Codex Labelling - General Principles

• Pre-packaged food shall not be described or

presented on any label in a manner that is false,
misleading, or deceptive (General Standard and
General Guidelines on Claims)

• Prepackaged food shall not be described or

presented on any label by words, pictorial or other
devices which refer to or are suggestive either directly
or indirectly, of any other product with which such
food might be confused (General Standard)

• Claims that cannot be substantiated are prohibited

(General Guidelines on Claims).

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 Codex General Standard: main labelling requirements EAS

Mandatory information:
• Name of the food
• List of ingredients
• Net contents and drained weight
• Name and address
• Country of origin: shall be declared if its omission
would mislead or deceive the consumer
• Lot identification
• Date marking and storage instructions Date of minimum
durability
• Instructions for Use
List of ingredients
& quantity of ingredients Name of the
food

Additional Mandatory information:

• Quantitative ingredients declaration Storage instructions
and handling instruction Nutrition labelling

• Irradiated foods Instruction for use

Origin
Net contents
Name and address

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 Codex General Guidelines on Nutritional Labelling EAS

Definitions and Objective of the guidelines

• Nutrient is any substance normally consumed as a constituent of food:

 which provides energy

 which is needed for growth, development and maintenance of life; or
 a deficit of which can cause characteristic bio-chemical or physiological changes

• Nutrition labelling helps inform consumers of nutritional properties of a food through

 nutrient declaration
 supplementary nutrition information

• Nutrient declaration: standardized statement or listing of nutrient content of a food

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Scope Purpose

Inform consumers about the nutrient content

Applies to the nutrition of a food so that healthy choices are made
labelling of all foods

Encourage sound nutrition principles

Recommends procedures for the In the formulation of foods
nutrition labelling of food
Ensure that nutrition labelling does not
describe/present information in a false,
For foods for special dietary misleading, deceptive manner
uses, more detailed provisions
may be developed Provide opportunities to include
supplementary nutrition information on
labels

Ensure that no nutrition claim is made

without nutrition labelling
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Principles for Nutrition Labelling

Supplementary
Nutrient declaration nutrition information Nutrition labelling

Provides consumers with Varies from one country to Should not deliberately imply
profile of nutrients contained another and from one target that a food which carries such
in the food and of nutritional population group to another labelling has necessarily any
importance according to the educational policy nutritional advantage over a food
of the country and the needs of the not labelled as such
target groups

Should be optional and given in

Gives consumers an addition to, not in place of, the
understanding of the quantity nutrient declaration; except for
of nutrients contained in the target populations with high
product illiteracy rate and/or comparatively
little knowledge of nutrition

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 Codex General Guidelines on Nutritional Labelling EAS

Principles and criteria

for legibility

General principles:
Specific features of presentation:
General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged
Foods (sect. 8) Presentation of mandatory • Numerical, tabular format or linear format
information: (when lack of space)
- Labels shall be applied in such a manner that they will not + • Specific order for Nutrient declaration
become separated from the container
- Statements required to appear on the label (..) shall be
• Font type, style and minimum font size
clear, prominent, indelible, readily legible by the (competent authorities)
consumer
• Significant contrast between text &
- Wrappers shall carry the necessary information or the background
label on the container shall be readily legible through the
outer wrapper or not obscured by it

- The name and net contents of the food shall appear in a

prominent position and in the same field of vision

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 Codex Guidelines on Nutrition Labelling EAS

Presentation of nutrient content

• Declaration of nutrient content should be numerical

• Energy value => kJ and kcal per 100 g / per 100 ml /
per package if single portion
• Amounts of protein, carbohydrate and fat => in g
per 100 g/per 100 ml/per package if single portion
• Vitamins and minerals => metric units and/or as % of
NRV per 100 g/ per 100 ml or per package if the
package contains only a single portion
•Information above may be given per serving as
quantified on the label or per portion if number of
portions is stated
•In countries where serving sizes are used => may be
given per serving only as quantified on the label or per
portion if number of portions contained in the package
is stated

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 Codex General Guidelines on Nutritional Labelling EAS

Nutrient Declaration Proposed draft amendments to the

Guidelines on Nutrition Labelling (CAC/GL 2-
1985) at Steps 5/8

3.1.1 Nutrient declaration should be

mandatory for all prepackaged foods for
Should be mandatory for all which nutrition or health claims, as defined in
prepackaged foods for which the Guidelines for Use of Nutrition and Health
Claims (CAC/GL 23-1997), are made.
nutrition or health claims is made
3.1.2 Nutrient declaration should be
mandatory for all other prepackaged foods
Should be voluntary for all other foods except where national circumstances would
not support such declarations.

Certain foods may be exempted for example,

on the basis of nutritional or dietary
insignificance or small packaging

+ New document /Tool for governments regarding

the implementation of mandatory nutrition labeling
(e.g need, trade implications, cost/benefit, etc)
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Nutrient List:

 The following elements should be mandatory where nutrient

declaration is applied

• Energy value

• Amounts of protein, carbohydrate (i.e. dietary carbohydrate, excluding

dietary fibre), fat,

• Amounts of Saturated fat, Sodium*, and total sugar

New requirement

* National authorities may

• Amount of any other nutrient for which a nutrition or health claim is
decide to express „‟salt‟‟
made
Countries should consider the
• Amount of any other nutrient considered to be relevant for maintaining a declaration of transfatty acids in
good nutritional status, as required by national legislation or national nutrition labelling where the intake
dietary guidelines level is a public health concern

• In the case of voluntary declaration of specific nutrient, when national

legislation requires the mandatory declaration of the amount of any
other nutrient

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Nutrient List:
 The following elements should be mandatory where nutrient declaration is applied

• When a claim is made

Specific health or nutrition claim

 Amount of any other nutrient considered relevant for maintaining a good nutritional status is mandatory

Claim on amount and/or type of carbohydrate

 Amount of total sugars + (amount of starch and/or other carbohydrates constituent may be added)

Claim on dietary fibre content

 Amount of dietary fibre should be declared

Claim on amounts and/or type of fatty acids or amount of cholesterol

 Amount of saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol should be declared

• When required by national legislation

- The amount of trans fatty acid

• Vitamins and Minerals

- For which recommended intakes have been established and/or which are of nutritional importance in the
country concerned should be declared

- When nutrient declaration is applied, vitamins and minerals in amounts less than 5% of NRV or of officially
recognized guidelines per 100 g or 100 ml or per serving as quantified on the label should not be declared
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ANNEX: GENERAL PRINCIPLES FOR

ESTABLISHING NUTRIENT REFERENCE
VALUES OF VITAMINS AND MINERALS • Adopted by CAC 2011
FOR THE GENERAL POPULATION • Review on NRVs
• The general population NRVs should be
determined by calculating the mean values
for a chosen reference population group
older than 36 months

• NRV are used as reference in nutrient

content claim and comparative claim

• For the purpose of establishing these

NRVs, the values for pregnant and lactating
women should be excluded

• Relevant and recent daily nutrient intake

values provided by FAO/WHO should be
taken into consideration as primary sources
in establishing NRVs

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Overview of policy and regulatory

developments worldwide

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Global Trends of nutritional labelling

• Unless a health or nutrition claim is made

Voluntary • Unless the food is for special dietary uses

e.g. EU (until 2014), GCC, Venezuela, Singapore, Turkey, Thailand, Japan, South Africa

• Even in the absence of a nutrition or health claim

• Defines which nutrients must be listed and how (e.g. per 100g, serving or
Mandatory portion)
• They also allow to provide additional nutrition information on a voluntary basis

e.g. EU (2014), US, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, HK, South Korea, Australia, NZ

Define which nutrients should be listed and on what basis

Guidelines
e.g. Codex Alimentarius

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Global trends on nutritional labelling

Different approaches and legal

requirements to nutrition labelling
can be found in different countries.
The main considerations:

• Whether nutrition labelling is mandatory or voluntary

• What nutrients must be declared

• Whether information is expressed quantitatively with symbols, or using descriptive

phrases such as „high',' medium‟ or „low‟

• Whether nutrition information is expressed per 100 g,100 ml of food or per serving

• Whether information is displayed on Front of Pack or Back of Pack

• Whether nutrition and health claims can be made on food products

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labelling – similarities and differences

European Union China

Canada Nutrition labelling is Nutrition labelling
not mandatory – Turkey mandatory
Since Dec. 2005
Becomes mandatory Nutrition labelling + transfatty acid
nutrition labelling
in Dec 2014 or 2016 voluntary (EU) unless (Jan 2013)
is mandatory
a claim is made
+ transfatty acid Lebanon
Nutrition labelling
Morocco voluntary unless a
claim is made Japan
Nutrition labelling
Nutrition labelling
voluntary
United States voluntary
(unless a claim is made) Jordan
Since 1994 nutrition (unless a claim is
Nutrition labelling
labelling is mandatory made)
voluntary voluntary India
+ transfatty acid (2006)
unless a claim is madeNutrition labelling
Brazil mandatory
Columbia GCC + transfatty acid
Since 2001 nutrition
nutrition labelling is Nutrition labelling (voluntary)
labelling is mandatory
voluntary) unless a voluntary unless
+ transfatty acid (2006)
claim is made a claim is made
Australia
Nutrition labelling is
Chile Uruguay mandatory
Since Nov. 2006 Since 2006 nutrition + transfatty acid
nutrition labelling labelling is mandatory (voluntary)
is mandatory + transfatty acid
+ transfatty acid
Argentina
Since Aug. 2006
nutrition labelling
is mandatory
+ transfatty acid

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 Regional situation on nutritional labelling – Latin America EAS
Similarities and Differences

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US - Mandatory nutrition information

Ensures that foods sold

in the US are safe,
Food and Drug wholesome and properly
Administration (FDA) labeled

Nutritional Labeling and Nutrition labeling

Education Act of 1990 regulations 1994

Nutrition Facts label

=> Requires manufacturers of packaged food products to inform the public of certain nutrition information

=> Required on most food packages labeled - since March, even packages of raw meat - whole, ground, chopped

=> In 2006 the FDA added a requirement on the disclosure of trans fatty acid (trans fat) contained in products
=> Can be found on the right side of the Principal Display Panel (PDP) of a product

=> The FDA does not require specific typeface, but only that the label "utilize a single easy-to-read type style”
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 US - Mandatory nutrition information EAS

Usually all 15 nutrients are shown:

Manufacturers have Calories
to include in the Calories from fat
Nutrition Facts label Fat
Saturated fat
Trans fat
Cholesterol
Sodium
Carbohydrates
Serving size
Dietary fiber
Calories per serving Sugars
Protein
Total fat (saturated and trans) Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Cholesterol
Calcium
Sodium Iron
Carbohydrates

Fiber Products exempted from Nutrition Facts label:

Food served for immediate consumption (e.g hospital);
Vitamins A and C Food sold by food service vendors (e.g mall cookie counters, vending
machines); Ready-to-eat food (e.g bakery, deli and candy store items);
Calcium Foods with no significant nutrients (e.g plain coffee, tea, spices)
Iron Food shipped in bulk;
Medical foods
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3) There is no % DV shown for:

Based on a 2,000-calorie diet -Transfat => not have enough
• 40 Calories is low scientific information
• 100 Calories is moderate
• 400 Calories or more is high -Protein => A %DV is required if
a claim is made such as "high in
protein”
- Sugars => no recommendations
has been made for the total
amount to eat in a day

3) Products containing

less than 5 g of fat => 0.5 g

5) This statement* must be on Less than 0.5 g => 0 g
all food labels
Example:
The remaining information in A product with 0.45 g of trans
the footnote may not be on the fat/serving in a package of 18
package if the size of the label servings => label would show
is too small. 0 g of trans fat, even though the
product actually contains a total
When the full footnote does of 8.1 g of trans fat)
appear, it will always be the
same on all food labels
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US- FDA developing new voluntary FOP system

Over the years, different voluntary FOP nutrition labels were developed by
industry or retailers in the US market in order to designate healthier products

2004 - PepsiCo launches Smartspot 2005 - Kraft launches Sensible Solutions

2006 - Hannaford Brothers Supermarket Chain 2008 –nutrition and medical experts develop
launches Guiding Stars (rank 0-3 stars, 3 stars nutritional value (NuVal) System. Scale of 1-
being the most nutritious food 100, with 100 being the most nutritious food

2008 – Companies introduce the Guideline Daily 2008 -the American Society for Nutrition and NSF
Amount International launches the Smartchoice progam

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US- FDA developing new voluntary FOP system
The problem? too many different voluntary FOP
nutrition schemes that can confuse consumers

In 2009, the FDA sent an open letter to the boards of the

Smartchoice program and different Front of Pack nutrition
rating systems, stating its concern with the potential to mislead
consumers – Smartchoice was stopped

2011- Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food

Marketing Institute introduce the “Nutrition Keys” system -
Facts Up Front

 The FDA recently announced the 2012-2016 strategic plan which includes specific
reference to front-of-pack nutritional labelling and reform of the nutrition facts panel

 The model that will be applied has not been disclosed yet.

 FDA plans to work collaboratively with the food industry to design and implement
innovative approaches to FOP labeling
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The FSANZ requires that Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) is provided for most foods, usually on back of pack

The nutrient values that must be displayed are the following:

• Energy (kilojoules, calories/or in both kilojoules and calories (kilocalories))
• Protein
• Total fat
• Saturated fat
• Carbohydrate
• Sugar
• Sodium (salt)
• Any other nutrient or substance about which a nutrition claim is made

=> Some manufacturers can display extra nutrient information (not legally required)
• Vitamins; Minerals; Unsaturated/monounsaturated/polyunsaturated fat; Trans fat (it is a requirement to display on
nutrition labels in the US, but not in Australia); Cholesterol

=> Exemption for: e.g. water, condiments and sauces, fresh products (e.g. fruit, vegetables), prepared foods (e.g.
sandwiches), small packages with surface area of less than 100 cm2

 There are no regulations regarding the format for a consistent FOP nutrition label.

 Progress is being made on the development of a front-of-pack labelling system

 Percentage daily intake information may be voluntarily provided in the NIP

 Declaration per serving and per 100 g or 100 ml of the food

 The word „slice‟, „pack‟, or „package‟ may replace the term „serving‟
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2. Australia New Zealand –
New FOP systems under development

 Australia and New Zealand Ministers agreed to develop a simple, interpretive

FOP labelling system for packaged, manufactured or processed foods

 In December 2011, Ministers decide to reject Traffic lights system and Daily
Intake Guide and to progress on a FOP system

 A working group was established between public and private sector.

The group will send its recommendations to Ministers in December 2012

 Key issues being considered include a requirement for consistent units of

measurement or serving sizes; food categorization; and whether the system
should enable comparisons across or within categories, or both

 In November 2012, the governments announced that a star system is likely to

be adopted next year. The more stars an item of food has on its packaging, the ?
more nutritious it is likely to be. Unlike traffic lights, the star system has no
negative colour-coding

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3. China – nutrition labelling becomes mandatory in 2013

The China Food Nutrition Mandatory declared items include:

Labeling Standard (2007) Energy content
Protein
Fat (SAFA, Mono/poly-unsaturated, transfat)
The National Food Safety Standard for Carbohydrates
Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Dietary Fibre
Food, promulgated in October 2011 will Sodium
be implemented on January 1, 2013 Percentage Nutrient Reference Values (NRV)

Energy and nutrient contents should be expressed in

either “per 100g” or “per 100ml” or “per serving”, and
in the defined table formats

Nutrition labeling will become mandatory All declarations must comply with the tolerance limits

This is part of a wider government plan to: The content of Trans fat => included when
• Regulate the food industry hydrogenated and (or) the partially hydrogenated
• Encourage healthy food choices vegetable oil was added into food ingredients or
used during the process

Declaration of other nutrients

(e.g Vitamin minerals)
 Mandatory when a claim is made
 otherwise, is on voluntarily base
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4. Thailand – New nutrition labeling with mandatory GDA FOP

• Voluntary
Nutrition Labelling
• Mandatory only for certain food (e.g Food with Nutrition Claim, food using
nutrition for sale Promotion, food targeted at special groups of consumers,
other foods as prescribed by FDA with the approval of the Food Committee

• August 2011 => Thai Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) regulation on the
new nutrition labeling system that displays the Guideline Daily Amounts
(GDA) on front of pack became effective with industry given a one-year period
to comply GDA model

• GDA nutrition labeling system should provide guidance on energy, sugar, fat,
and sodium and will have nutritional value displayed per pack instead of per
serving

• It is mandatory for five groups of snack foods: fried or baked potato chips,
fried or baked popcorn, rice crisps or extruded snack, crackers or biscuits, and
filling wafers.

• In August 2012, the FDA released a draft extending the regulation to 12

additional snack foods as well as frozen meals and instant foods. It will be
extended to all packaged food in the next 5 years prioritizing ready meals, instant
noodles and all snack foods

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5. South Korea – New voluntary and mandatory traffic light
labelling FOP

 Korea became the first country in Asia to implement voluntary traffic

light labelling (fat, transfat, sugar and sodium) since January 2011 on
the Front of Packaging of children„s food

 Authorities announced plans to have traffic lights labeling mandatory

for snacks in 2013 and for beverages in 2014

 Bills already filed and being discussed in Parliament

 Since 2009, when companies want to display voluntarily GDAs on

labels it is mandatory to display 9 icons
Front of pack (FOP)

Back of Pack (BOP)

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EAS Strategic advice on nutritional products

‫!شكرا‬
Choukran !

EAS Asia EAS Latin America EAS Europe

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Tel: (+65 6) 838 12 70 Tel: (+54 11) 52 45 84 95 Tel: (+32 2) 218 14 70
Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

www.eas.asia www.eas-americalatina.com www.eas.eu

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EAS Strategic advice on nutritional products

Q&A

EAS Asia EAS Latin America EAS Europe

3 Killiney Road, Lola Mora 421, 5th floor - No. 502 50 Rue de l‟Association
#07-04 Winsland House I 1107 Buenos Aires 1000 Brussels
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Strategic advice on nutritional products SFDA/GSO Training Course – 8-9/12/12