Scotland's Food and Drink Businesses Get Label Ready

16 June 2014 --- The Scottish Food and Drink Federation (SFDF) hosted a briefing event for food and drink companies based in Scotland to help them to better understand and prepare for forthcoming mandatory changes to food and drink labels.

A range of industry delegates attended including manufacturers, retailers, butchers and bakers who took away essential knowledge on the changes to labelling brought in under the European Food Information to Consumers Regulation which will take effect from 13 December.

The day kicked off with representatives from the Food Standards Agency in Scotland (FSAS), the Food Standards Agency, the Food and Drink Federation and leading law firm Shepherd and Wedderburn speaking about the conditions and implications of the new regulation, and how it will impact on businesses.
 
This was followed by a hands-on workshop where attendees used what they had learnt to correctly re-label a variety of products.
 
Later, FSAS offered delegates one-on-one advice, and a takeaway checklist on what companies need to consider when drawing up new labels for their products. SFDF staff were also there during and after the workshops to offer advice and support.
 
Mary Lawton, Policy and Industry Liaison Manager at SFDF, said: “This is a period of significant change in the provision of food labelling information for consumers, with nearly all food and drink affected by this regulation. The event helped guide and inform companies of all sizes on what is coming up and the need for action now. These events which bring together the regulators and industry experts help inform companies about what they need to do to comply and by when.”
 
All European food and drink manufacturers are required to adapt their labelling in line with the European Food Information to Consumers Regulation. The key new requirements are: a minimum font size for mandatory information; emphasising allergens in the ingredients list; providing allergen information for foods sold loose, including catering; an extension to the rules for country of origin labelling for meat and from December 2016, mandatory nutrition labelling for most pre-packed foods.
 
Stephen Hendry, Senior Policy Advisor at FSAS, said: “I am very grateful to the Scottish Food and Drink Federation for making the event possible and helping to highlight that most of the new food information rules will apply in six months' time. It also gave a valuable opportunity for the FSA to meet individually with a wide range of food businesses and discuss specific points of interest.”