Food Labelling

Codex Committee on Food Labelling (Host Government — 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 of the 34th Codex Alimentarius Commission

The 34th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission:

• Adopted at Step 8 the Revision of the Guidelines on Nutrition Labelling: List of Nutrients that are always declared on a Voluntary or Mandatory Basis
• Adopted at Step 5/8 the Compilation of Codex Texts Relevant to Labelling of Foods Derived from Modern Biotechnology
• Adopted at Step 5 the Draft Definition of Nutrient Reference Values
• Approved new work on Inclusion of new substances into the Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods
• Discontinued work on the Draft Amendment to the General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods: Definitions (Labelling of Foods and Food Ingredients Obtained through Certain Techniques of Genetic Modification / Genetic Engineering)

Last Meeting

The 39th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) met in Quebec City, Canada from 9 – 13 May 2011.

Matters for Adoption by the 34^rd Session of the codex Alimentarius Commission

The Committee:

• Advanced to Step 8 the Draft Revision of the Guidelines on Nutrition Labelling (CAC/GL 2-1985) concerning the list of nutrients that are always declared on a voluntary or mandatory basis
• Advanced to Step 5/8 the Proposed draft Compilation of Codex Texts Relevant to Labelling of Foods Derived from Modern Biotechnology
• Advanced to Step 5 the Proposed draft definition of Nutrient Reference Values
• Agreed to discontinue the work on the draft amendment to the General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods: Definitions  

New Work

The committee agreed to propose new work on inclusion of new substances into the Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods.

Other Matters of Interest

The Committee:

• Retained the Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods: Inclusion of ethylene for other products at Step 7
• Returned the Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods: Inclusion of new substances to Step 6 to include aquaculture animals and seaweed to Step 3 

Matters of Interest to Other Codex Committees

Codex Committee on Nutrition and Food for Special Dietary Uses

• The CCFL informed the Committee on Nutrition of Foods and Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) that the CCFL would review the appropriate sections of the Guidelines on Nutrition Labelling after CCNFSDU had completed the general principles for establishing nutrient reference values for nutrients associated with non-communicable diseases and the list of NRVs.
• The CCFL requested the CCNFSDU to consider the revised definition of trans-fatty acid and the Proposed draft definition of Nutrient Reference Values

Report from this meeting

Next Meeting

The 40th Session of the Committee has been scheduled to be held in Ottawa, Canada from 14 —18 May 2012.