Nutrition labelling, Nutrition, labelling, labels, consumers, ingredients, allergens, packaging, nutritional claim, nutrients, energy value, consumers' perceptions, food choices, RDIs, recommended daily intakes, quantity

Nutrition labelling

Nutrition labelling on foodstuffs is one of the tools that can help guide consumers when it comes to choosing foods. How can we ensure that this information is reliable, useful and easy for everyone to understand? A draft regulation is currently being drawn up on a Community level aimed at determining what information should be included on nutrition labels and also in which form it should be presented to consumers.

The current labelling situation

The labelling of foodstuffs is currently harmonised on a European scale.

The general labelling of foodstuffs is compulsory and includes a number of data that must be indicated on the product. Hence the name under which the product is sold (retail name), the list of ingredients, their quantity or their proportion in the product, the presence of allergens, the net quantity or the date of minimum durability (1) must all be indicated on the packaging.

Useful tip: ingredients are listed in decreasing order of the quantity present in the food.
Directive 90/496/EEC, transcribed into national legislation, governs nutrition labelling. The latter is optional, but becomes compulsory if any nutritional claim is made on the packaging or in advertising relative to the product. The information that must be indicated is classed into two groups. Depending on the nutrients concerned by the nutritional claim, one or other of the information groups must be indicated on the product:
· Group 1
- the energy value
- the protein, carbohydrate and lipid contents
· Group 2
- the energy value
- the protein, carbohydrate, sugar, lipid, saturated fat, dietary fibre and sodium contents.
Nutrition labelling may also include quantities of starch, polyols, monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, cholesterol, mineral salts or vitamins specified in the annex to the directive.

A reflection process is currently under way on a Community level aimed at adapting these nutrition labelling conditions to current recommendations and harmonising both the content and form (position, size, presentation, etc.).

The labelling report

Against this background, Afssa was consulted in February 2005, jointly with the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF), the Directorate General for Food (DGAL) and the Directorate General for Health (DGS) to:
- specify the categories of nutrients that should feature as priority on labels
- propose the most relevant wording to enable consumers to adapt their diet to their needs

To this end, a dedicated working group was set up, within the Agency's Nutrition scientific panel. Based on a review of the published scientific data, the group analysed consumers' perceptions of nutrition labelling and its impact on their food choices.
In parallel, a synopsis of labelling recommendations formulated in previous scientific expert assessments (2) carried out by Afssa concerning various nutrients and the benefits and risks linked to their consumption, led to the proposal of information to be included as a priority on labels.

Afssa's recommendations

In terms of consumers' perceptions of labelling, Afssa considers that, to date, the data available does not allow all the questions raised to be answered. Consequently, the Agency highlights the need to acquire data in the field of human and social sciences (sociology, behavioural psychology) in order to gain a better understanding of consumers' perceptions of labelling systems and back up the impact on the French population's behaviour and food choices.

With respect to the information to be included on labels, the Agency proposes maintaining labelling based on two groups, as currently stipulated.
A first group of priority wording assembles information relative to public health concerns that needs to be communicated to consumers to ensure balanced dietary intakes: energy density; total carbohydrate including total simple carbohydrate, protein, total lipids including saturated fat; salt or salt equivalent.

A second group of information, concerning nutrients and substances which have been shown to have a positive impact on health and the consumption of which should be encouraged, may be indicated at the discretion of the manufacturer. Afssa recommends that group B be presented as a positive list including nutrients and substances, the indication of which is currently authorised, but also other nutrients and substances for which a health benefit will have been demonstrated previously. It will be up to the manufacturer to decide whether to label the content of these nutrients and substances or not.

The question of nutritional reference is crucial when it involves providing consumers with the information needed to adapt their diet to their nutritional needs. Current labelling systems propose expression of the nutrient content of the food relative to various reference values. In order to ensure that nutritional information is based on references that are valid for as much of the population as possible, Afssa proposes expressing the nutrient content relative to recommended daily intakes (RDIs), defined at European level.

Finally, irrespective of the labelling system adopted on a European scale, Afssa considers that supportive measures be implemented to ensure consumers are provided with useful and appropriate information and that educational support be introduced in schools, as part of a general nutritional policy.

(1) Period of time for which a food retains all its specific properties (nutrient and vitamin content, food wholesomeness, etc.). For very fragile foods that perish quickly, this information is replaced by a use before date.
(2) For example, "Carbohydrates" report, "Proteins" report, "Salt: Evaluation and recommendation" report, etc.

July 2008