Article
The Front Labelling of Food: Nutritional Traffic Lights, Nutri-Score and Others
European Food and Feed Law Review
(2021)
Abstract
The labelling of packaged foods is a universal concern present in the national legislation of most countries. Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 on food information provided to the consumer allows the possibility of using a front nutrition label FOPL (Front-of-Pack nutrition label) in a complementary way to the mandatory nutrition information, on a voluntary basis, without replacing it, as long as the requirements mentioned in said Regulation are met, do not mislead the consumer, are not ambiguous or confusing and are based on relevant scientific data. The application of a "front" nutritional label is interesting in principle because it is more visible, unlike the mandatory nutritional label, which is located on the back or side of the packages. However, on the other hand, it can mislead the consumer should they intend to value the product nutritionally apart from the diet as a whole. An effective policy for the health of the citizen must be based on adequate training in food and consumption, starting from school age and reaching to society in general, contemplating the insertion of the variety of products in the variety of possible diets, according to the nutritional needs of the citizen, based on age, sex, lifestyle and sustainability. In this context, front labelling must be integrated into a global strategy to be effective and avoid being counterproductive. This document aims to offer food for thought to people, institutions and companies that have to make decisions regarding food labelling.
Keywords
- Food labeling,
- FOPL,
- Nutri-score,
- Food Law
Disciplines
Publication Date
April, 2021
Citation Information
Ana María Andrés, Marta Arroyo-Izaga, Ramon Clotet, Yvonne Colomer, et al.. "The Front Labelling of Food: Nutritional Traffic Lights, Nutri-Score and Others" European Food and Feed Law Review Vol. 12 Iss. 2 (2021) p. 104 - 111 ISSN: 18 62-27 20 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/luis_gonzalez_vaque/322/
Creative Commons license
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC_BY International License.