WHAT'S IN MY MUESLI? NEW CONTROLS ON FOOD LABELLING, ADVERTISING New Department of Health regulations will control what must (and must not) be included in labelling and advertising of all foodstuffs. The idea is to assist consumers to make fully informed, healthy food choices based on clear disclosure of nutrient content in food products. Although most of the regulations only come into effect on 1 March 2011 - giving non-compliant food manufacturers and importers 9 months now to get their houses in order - there is one exception, namely the misleading practice of labelling contents as a "negative percentage" (such as "95% fat-free"). From 1 June 2010 disclosure must be correctly stated in the positive ("5% fat"), and that applies not only to fat content, but to other components as well (sodium, energy, cholesterol etc). "Trans fat", with its reputation as a significant health risk, is of particular interest to consumers, but will unfortunately only be dealt with later in separate regulations. A draft of these is currently open for public comment until the end of June. Recent Articles for Jun 2010; Source: www.dotnews.co.za |
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