French regulations on text descriptions for food packaging

Recently, many food contamination incidents in Europe have caused French consumers’ concerns about food safety to increase. The French government has taken a number of measures to protect food safety from the viewpoint of protecting the interests of consumers. One of the important items is food packaging. Text description rules.

Recently, Carrefour, France’s largest commercial retail group, distributed brochures to customers in various supermarkets, detailing the relevant provisions of the text description on food packaging, and guiding consumers through these instructions to understand the various items of food purchased. Indicators to achieve the purpose of ensuring food safety.

According to regulations, in addition to indicating the commercial name of such foods on food packaging, the legal name must be clearly marked. For example, a multi-flavored yoghurt, manufacturers can arbitrarily determine an attractive commercial name, but it must clearly indicate that this is yogurt Yogurt is the legal name of this food. Manufacturers may not deceive consumers with various dazzling names.

The second requirement is that the weight or volume of the food must be clearly marked on the box. The volume of the packaging box must be the same as the volume of the food itself, and should not be packaged with boxes that exceed the volume of the food itself, so as to avoid the illusion of consumers when purchasing the same. In order for the consumer to have a clear understanding of the unit price of the food, the store should also indicate the price per kilogram or liter when writing the price of the product.

The third requirement is that the contents of the various ingredients that make up the food must be indicated on the food packaging and should be indicated in order of their contents. Non-harmful additives such as perfumes, preservatives and moisture-proofing agents can be used, but they must also be marked on the packaging. Alcohol products must be marked with alcohol content.

The fourth provision is that various adjectives and adjuncts on food packaging must not be abused, and their meanings are clearly defined. For example, “fresh” food refers to food produced within 30 days, “new” food can only be food that is put into the market within one year, and the proportion of its new formula must be above 30%. “Natural” food is Refers to foods that have been obtained in nature, have only been frozen or sterilized, and have no additives. Pure foods can only be used in a few oils or honey foods.

The fifth requirement is that the name and location of the manufacturer, as well as the production date and the expiration date must be stated on the food packaging. Some foods must be marked with origin. For example, beef products must be marked with the words "French beef" before they can be sold. This is mainly due to the measures taken by the British "mad cows".

In addition to the above provisions, the legal name, weight or volume of the food on food packaging, the expiration date of food, and the name and location of the manufacturer must be written in an obvious position, and must not be hidden or dispersed in different places. The regulations are designed to make it easier for consumers to compare different brands of similar foods.