The U.K. Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has announced a public consultation seeking feedback on proposed legislation that would implement the European Union’s (EU’s) regulation “on the provision of food information to consumers” (Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011). According to DEFRA, the regulation known as FIC requires food business operators (FBOs) to provide specific information to consumers “so that they are able to make informed choices about the food they buy.” These requirements address a number of technical issues, including (i) “country of origin/place of provenance labeling”; (ii) “mandatory nutrition declaration and voluntary front of pack nutrition labeling”; (iii) “ingredients and nutrition labeling of alcoholic drinks”; (iv) “consumer information about non-prepacked foods”; (v) “food allergen labeling and information”; (vi) “clarity of food labels and minimum font size”; (vii) “labeling of vegetable oil including palm oil”; (viii) “labeling of engineered nano-materials”; and (ix) “quantity labeling.” The U.K. legislation enacting FIC…
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The U.K. Department of Health (DOH) has announced a voluntary front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labeling scheme designed to “clearly” display the amount of fat, saturated fat, salt, sugar, and calories contained in food products. According to an October 24, 2012, press release, the proposed system will use color coding, guideline daily amounts and “high/medium/low” text to help consumers “make quick, informed decisions about the food they eat.” The announcement apparently followed a three-month consultation with retailers, manufacturers and other stakeholders about the future of FOP labeling. Although DOH will continue to meet with industry about the system’s final design, it evidently plans to launch the initiative as early as summer 2013. “The U.K. already has the largest number of products with front-of-pack labels in Europe but research has shown that consumers get confused by the wide variety of labels used,” said Public Health Minister Anna Soubry. “By having a consistent system…
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled that print and Web advertisements for Alpro (UK) Ltd.’s almond milk are not misleading. ASA received two complaints alleging that the advertisements misled consumers because the product contains only 2 percent almonds and because the ads featured images implying that almonds could be “milked.” Alpro countered, however, that “almond milk” is “commonly used as a descriptor for this type of product,” with “the two leading international branded varieties both [having] an almond content of 2%.” “They explained the product was made by processing roasted almonds into a creamy paste, which was then blended with spring water and other ingredients and nutrients, but that no additional flavorings were added to the product,” according to ASA. “They said the number of almonds used defined the texture and taste intensity of the product and that consumers liked the product with 2% roasted almonds, which equated…
The U.K. Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has issued a statement urging regulators to prohibit all TV advertising for foods high in sugar, fat or salt before the 9 p.m. watershed. Citing a 2003 Food Standards Agency review that allegedly measured the impact of food promotion on children, RCPCH President Hilary Cass reportedly said that the current regulations are too weak to protect young viewers from “commercial exploitation.” “Although they are trying to avoid junk food advertising around specific children’s program, you’ve still got it around soaps and other programs that children watch,” Cass was quoted as saying. “So the only realistic way to do it is to have no junk food advertising before the watershed in any programs at all.” RCPCH has endorsed the International Obesity Taskforce’s Sydney principles “for achieving a substantial level of protection for children against the commercial promotion of foods and beverages.”…
A Yale University Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity study has compared the U.S. food industry’s “Facts Up Front” labeling scheme to the “Multiple Traffic Light” system used in the United Kingdom, concluding that consumers found both front-of-package systems easier to use than no labels at all, while an enhanced Traffic Light system yielded “the best overall performance.” Christina Roberto, et al., “Facts Up Front Versus Traffic Light Food Labels,” American Journal of Preventative Medicine, July 2012. Researchers asked 708 adults in an Internet-based survey to compare the nutrient levels of foods as well as estimate saturated fat, sugar, sodium, fiber and protein contents using one of five systems: (i) no label; (ii) Traffic Light; (iii) Traffic Light “plus information about protein and fiber (Traffic Light+)”; (iv) Facts up Front; or (v) Facts Up Front “plus information about ‘nutrient to encourage’ (Facts Up Front+).” The results evidently indicated that respondents…
The United Kingdom’s (UK’s) Children’s Food Campaign (CFC) has reportedly urged the Ministry of Health to prohibit use of the chemical 4-Methylimidazole (4-MEI), a byproduct of fermentation often found in soy sauce, roasted coffee and the caramel coloring added to colas and beer. In January 2012, California EPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment adopted a no significant risk level for 4 MEI, with Proposition 65 cancer warnings unnecessary for exposures at or below 29 micrograms per day. The development was covered in Issue 424 of this Update. According to news sources, CFC’s effort was prompted by test results indicating that colas sold in Britain contain 135 micrograms of 4-MEI per can. Malcolm Clark, CFC campaign coordinator, asserts that only caramel colorings “free of known cancer-causing chemicals” should be used worldwide. See Daily Mail, June 25, 2012.
The U.K. Food Standards Agency (FSA) has released its fourth Food Surveillance Information Sheet analyzing acrylamide and furan levels in 248 retail products from 10 food groups. Conducted from 2007 to 2011, the survey apparently revealed “an upward trend in acrylamide levels in processed cereal-based baby foods (excluding rusks), and a reduction in other products, such as pre-cooked French fries, potato products for home cooking and bread.” Although FSA did not note any concern for human health risks, it reported that, of the 248 products surveyed, 13 samples contained acrylamide levels “that exceeded the ‘indicative value’ (IV) for their food group” and therefore warrant investigation by “the relevant local authority.” “The Agency advises that chips should be cooked to a light golden color. Bread and bread products should also be toasted to the lightest color possible,” stated FSA, which will send its findings to the European Food Safety Authority for…
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint alleging that a radio advertisement for Budweiser® beer violated rule 19.6 of the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice code by linking the consumption of alcohol to sexual success. According to ASA, the ad produced by AB InBev UK Ltd. featured a male speaker modeled after “the typical American football coach” giving “a motivational style speech” to other male characters preparing for the evening ahead, which would likely include meeting new people. Although InBev argued that the commercial did not explicitly link consumption of its product to sexual prowess but instead “drew upon the commonly attributed American values of optimism, free-spiritedness and a positive attitude,” ASA interpreted the message as implying that “on such nights [] unexpected and significant events, including conception, could take place.” “We considered the ad was likely to be understood as suggesting the group was preparing for…
The U.K. Food Standards Agency (FSA) has announced a moratorium on the production of “desinewed meat” (DSM) from cattle, sheep and goats after the European Commission decided “that DSM does not comply with European Union [EU] single market legislation.” Produced using “a low pressure technique” to remove meat from bone but retain the structural integrity of the muscle fibers, DSM reportedly resembles “minced meat” and “is regarded as meat” by FSA. Although the Commission evidently does not view DSM as a health concern, it reportedly threatened to ban U.K. meat exports unless FSA issued a moratorium and reworked legislation to comply with the EU definition of “mechanically separated meat” (MSM), that is, “the product obtained by removing meat from flesh bearing bones after boning or from poultry carcasses, using mechanical means resulting in the loss or modification of the muscle fibre structure.” Meanwhile, the British Meat Processors’ Association (BMPA) has…
The U.K. Department of Health has announced a new “Public Health Responsibility Deal” signed by 17 major food and beverage companies that have agreed to cap calories in their products. According to a March 24, 2012, department press release, the pledge aims “to cut five billion calories from the nation’s diet” by asking signatories to actively promote lower-calorie options and to offer additional reduced-calorie items. The companies supporting the initiative include chain restaurants, retailers and manufacturers such as Coca-Cola Great Britain and Mars, Inc. “We all have a role to play – from individuals to public, private and nongovernmental organizations – if we are going to cut five billion calories from our national diet. It is an ambitious challenge but the Responsibility Deal has made a great start,” said Health Secretary Andrew Lansley. “This pledge is just the start of what must be a bigger, broader commitment from the food…
