Food Labelling Brochure

• Name and description of the product.
• List of ingredients.
• Manufacturer’s name and address.
• Nutritional information and claims.
• Instructions to use and store the product.
• Weight or volume description.

(Each of these will be discussed in detail).

Why is the product name important?

If the brand name (for instance, BINGOBURGER) of the product does not tell you exactly what it is, then a manufacturer must give a clear and true description of the product. He is not allowed to mislead you in any way. For instance, a food labelled BACON SNACKS must contain real bacon. If it is only flavoured to taste like bacon, then it will have to use words like bacon flavour.

The pictures on a label must also give the true story; a breakfast cereal which is artificially flavoured with a banana taste is not allowed to show pictures of fresh bananas on the label. To go further, if the picture on a label shows anything which is not actually included inside the packet, then the picture must be accompanied by the words “Serving Suggestion” or something similar.

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Every manufactured foodstuff must give, you the name and the physical address of the manufacturer or importer. This is so that, in the case of a complaint, a Health Inspector may actually go to the premises to sort things out. A box number is not enough.

If a food product is unsatisfactory in any way, you as a consumer, should make it your business to complain. Any reputable manufacturer will be glad to hear if consumers feel there is something wrong with his product, so that he can take action to put matters right.

First, you should complain to the manager of the shop where you bought the product; if this does not work then complain directly to the manufacturer. If you are still unsatisfied, or feel that you we not getting proper treatment, contact the Health Department of your local authority, which is usually listed in the phone book as ..

they can then send Health Inspectors to the manufacturer, and if he does not sort things out, they can make him withdraw the product from the market and pay stiff fines.

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Almost every pre-packed food product has to carry on it a list of the ingredients which went into it, to help you know more about what you are eating. The ingredients must be listed in reverse order of weight; that means that the ingredient which appears first on the list is there in the greatest quantity and the last one is there in the smallest quantity. For instance, a raspberry yoghurt that lists sugar higher than raspberries in the list of ingredients probably contains a very small quantity of raspberries.

The ingredient list also tells you whether the product contains ingredients you may wish to avoid, such as certain additives. No additive may be used in a foodstuff unless it has been specifically approved after exhaustive research by the Department of Health. As many of them have long complicated names, in some cases the category name for a class of additive may be used. Examples of these are colourants, emulsifiers (which help to keep products like mayonnaise thick), stabilisers and antioxidants (which stop fats going rancid).

However, the presence of preservatives like sulphur dioxideпїЅ and benzoic acid must be indicated by their full chemical name. The same applies to tartrazine (which is a yellow colour, quite harmless to the majority of the population) and monosodium glutamate sometimes known as MSG – which is a flavour enhancer derived from seaweed. Contrary to popular belief. the percentage of the population which would show an allergic response to these additives is actually very small, but for those people: it is important to know which foodstuffs to avoid.

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Though the list of ingredients will give you some information, you may obtain more from the panels which give you nutritional information. You will find panels telling you how much energy (kilojoules – Kj), protein, carbohydrate, fat, sugar and salt (sodium) and vitamins contained in a product.

Where a product is sold on the basis that it has particular nutritional qualities, making statements like “High in Vitamin C” or “Protein enriched”, then it is compulsory that a manufacturer gives you a complete declaration of the nutrients in their product,

On many other products, manufacturers are beginning to supply this information even though it is not compulsory. In all cases the information given as to how much of a nutrient is contained in 100 grams (g) or millilitres (ml) – this allows you to compare one brand or type of foodstuff directly with another. It must also give you the amount of that nutrient present in a normal serving of that product, to enable you to work out if need be, whether you will be getting sufficient of that nutrient in your overall diet.

Claims in respect of minerals and vitamins (which are only needed in tiny quantities) are only permitted if the product contains at least 15% of the internationally recognised Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of that nutrient. All the terms like “fortified”, “nutritious”, “enriched” have to be fully substantiated.

If an artificial sweetener has been used. the term non-nutritive sweetener must be included in the list of ingredients.

W here specific claims are made, such as “Reduced Fat Content” or “Low in Kilojoules” or “High in Fibre”, these claims are strictly controlled and may only be made if the product is significantly different from other product of the same type on the market.

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What do claims like natural and healthy mean?

These two terms are important and can he misused to mislead consumers. South African food regulations are very strict in ensuring that nobody may make or sell foods which are unsafe or contaminated in any way. But though a food may be safe, it may not necessarily be healthy. Eating too much of one food can be very unhealthy, What one can describe as a healthy diet should be a properly balanced intake of different foods in the right proportions.

Therefore no manufacturer may use the word healthy to try and give you the impression that his foodstuff has special health-giving properties which no other foodstuffs possess.

The word natural causes many problems too. Once any ingredient or foodstuff has been processed, it can no longer be regarded as natural, and the use of the word is very strictly controlled.

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Should storage and cooking instructions be followed?

The answer is yes. The manufacturer wants you to consume his product in the best possible condition. You can see if an apple is going rotten, but on the other hand there are many foodstuffs where it is not possible to see when they have started to go bad, or are dangerous to eat.

The dates marked on food labels are important to safeguard you against food which may be unfit to eat or just unpleasant. When the use by or best before dates have been reached, it does not mean that the food is dangerous, but the risk of chemical and/or microbiological deterioration has started to increase. These dales help us to make sure that food we give our families is absolutely safe, providing we follow the storage instructions.

You should also follow the instructions for preparation, which are there to make sure that food tastes its best and protects you against possible illness. The recommended defrosting and cooking times are scientifically determined to ensure that any harmful bacteria or other substances art destroyed before you eat the food.

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WHY ARE SOME FOODS NOT LABELLED CORRECTLY?

Some foods do not have to carry full labels, many for obvious reasons. For example, eggs, unprocessed fruit and vegetables, one-bite sweets and foods that are prepared and sold at the same place at which they are eaten. Processed fish, meat and poultry are exempt, provided that they are packed in such a way that the contents are visible and identifiable.

If some other products comply with a strict set of what are known as compositional standards (which is basically the standard recipe), then they are exempt from listing their ingredients, providing they are properly decribed on the label. These include carbonated water, vinegar, beer and some dairy products.