Campden BRI Predicts a Challenging 2014 as FIC Regulation Deadline Looms

05 Dec 2013 --- 2014 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.
 
Steven Walker, the Director General of Campden BRI, said: “2014 is going to be a challenging year for the food and drink industry as it faces sweeping, mandatory changes to product labelling rules. 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.”
 
Campden BRI’s team of experienced Food Law Advisers has seen demand for its information and advisory service increase sharply as food businesses review their product labels and get to grips with the far-reaching implications of the new regulation in advance of the December 2014 deadline.  
 
In response, Campden BRI is expanding its food law advisory team under newly appointed Steve Spice as its Head of Regulatory Affairs. Formerly with Waitrose, Steve will lead the team as it responds to the growing demand for its expert legislative information advice and training activities.
 
Such is the heightened industry interest in the sweeping changes the FIC regulation is introducing, Campden BRI’s annual food labelling seminar held this week attracted a capacity audience from the manufacturing and retailing industries, necessitating a re-run in January which is also filling up quickly.
 
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.
 
“Help is at hand from Campden BRI for advice, guidance and support on understanding the new legislation to offering a full label review service in which existing labels or the artwork for revised labels are subject to rigorous assessment. Label reviews can be conducted at any stage in the product development cycle right through to the finished artwork and are an effective way to forewarn of potential difficulties and suggest practical alternatives to becoming fully compliant”.