Liz Gyekye / PackagingNews
Warning of ‘Info Blind Spot’ in advance of New EU Labelling Rules
Private label software firm Trace One is urging retailers and manufactures to review their validation process for product information ahead of EU food labelling legislation being published next month.
The retail expert suggests that many organisations risk falling official inspections or worse, putting consumer health at risk, if they are unable to prove that their product information is accurate and true.
The European Parliament has proposed that food labels on packaging should include mandatory nutritional information.
‘Safety of consumers’
Brussels aims to ensure that labels do not mislead. It also aims to change existing rules on information that is compulsory on all labels, such as name, list of ingredients, ‘best before’ our ‘use by’ dates.
Trace One northern Europe vice president Amina West said: “Following major food scares like the BSE crisis, knowing the geographic location of where products, and their raw materials, have come from is essential to ensure the safety of consumers.
“While Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) will go some way to resolve this, it’s not just about labelling.
“Retailers and manufacturers need to be able to prove that all the information on their products is accurate, particularly when subject to labeling authority inspections.”
Validation
West warned industry should be looking at collaborative solutions, where information on products can be kept and validated online.
West said: “Ten years ago the market was very different. Retailers and manufacturers were free to make changes to products, without the need to track these.
“Now, we are in a very different situation, as consumer demand and stricter legislation means that any alterations need to be validated and accurately communicated.
“To avoid any mistakes from human error, the retail industry should be looking at using automated systems during the product development and packaging stages to make changes to product specifications in real-time.”
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