Food Labelling

Codex Committee on Food Labelling (Host – Canada)

The CCFL drafts provisions on labelling of foods and endorses draft provisions on labelling. It also studies labelling issues assigned to it by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and it studies issues related to food advertising including claims and misleading descriptions.

Existing Codex Standards

Standards relating to food labelling* that have been endorsed and adopted into the international food code include standards on:

• Use of the Term Halal
• General Standard for the Labelling of Food Additives when sold as such
• Labelling of and Claims for Pre-packaged Foods for Special Dietary Use
• Labelling of and Claims for Foods for Special Medical Purposes
• Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods
• Packing Media (Composition and Labelling)
• Guidelines for the Use of Nutrition and Health Claims

* This is an indicative list only. For a full list of standards approved by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, please consult its Official List of Standards.

Outcomes from the 35th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission

The 35th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission adopted standards and related texts as forwarded by the Codex Committee on Food Labelling. 

Last Meeting

The 40th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) met in Ottawa, Canada from 15 - 18 May 2012.

Matters for Adoption by the 35th Session of the codex Alimentarius Commission

The Committee advanced to Step 8 the following:

• Draft Revision of the Guidelines on Nutrition Labelling (CAC/GL 2-1985) concerning a new definition of “nutrient reference values” (para. 46, Appendix IV); and
• Draft amendment to the Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods (CAC/GL 32-1999): use of ethylene for ripening of fruit (para. 71 and Appendix VI);

Advanced to Steps 5/8 the following:

• Proposed Draft Revision of the Guidelines on Nutrition and Health Claims (CAC/GL 23-1997) concerning a new definition for “non-addition claim”, conditions for free of salt claims, amendments to the section on comparative claims and conditions for non-addition of sugars claims (para. 39, Appendix II);
• Proposed Draft Revision of the Guidelines on Nutrition Labelling (CAC/GL 2-1985) concerning provisions for mandatory nutrition labelling (para. 67, Appendix V);
• Proposed Draft amendment to the Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods concerning inclusion of new substances (paras 76 and 80 and Appendix VII).

Advanced to Step 5 the following:

• Proposed draft revision of the Guidelines on Nutrition and Health Claims (CAC/GL 23-1997) concerning Non-Addition of Sodium Salts (para. 39, Appendix III).

Other Matters of Interest

The Committee

• Returned the Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods (CAC/GL 32-1999): Organic Aquaculture to Step 2 for redrafting by an electronic working group, circulation for comments at Step 3, for consideration by a physical working group and for consideration at Step 4 at the next session (para. 86); and
• Agreed that the topic modified standardized common names should be removed from the agenda (para. 101).

Matters of Interest to Other Codex Committees

Codex Committee on Nutrition and Food for Special Dietary Uses

The Committee agreed to request the Committee on Nutrition of Foods and Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) to:

• Give advice as to whether the condition for 10% of the NRV for comparative claims for micronutrients (section 6.3 in the Guidelines on Nutrition and Health Claims) is still in line with current evidence based guidance on micronutrients, particularly in light of the work being undertaken on NRV (para. 27);
• Give advice on the establishment of conditions for claims for “free” of TFA and if the advice was positive, whether the claims should be made per100ml or 100g or per serving (paras. 34 and 35);
• Consider requesting CCMAS to review questions related to methods for trans fatty acids in foods (para. 36).

Report from this meeting.

Next Meeting

The 41st Session of the Committee has been scheduled to be held in Canada from 13 - 17 May 2013.