The European Commission has adopted guidelines in the form of Directive (2005/26/EC) on the implementation of legislation on food labelling. The new law of 25 March 2005 establishes a list of food ingredients or substances provisionally excluded from being labelled.
Directive 2000/13/EC of 20 March 2000 is the law which covers food labelling for products sold directly to the consumer. Since 2000, the law has been amended twice: once to establish the definition of meat for labelling purposes and another time regarding the indication of the ingredients present in foodstuffs (eg chocolate).
The updated Directive required all ingredients to be indicated on the label of food products and particularly obliges manufacturers to list 12 potentially allergic ingredients. This is designed to help consumers with health conditions or food allergies to avoid specific ingredients or substances. However, some substances derived from allergens may not be a risk for people with allergies. Therefore during a a transitional period, industry could submit scientific evidence that would allow an exemption for labelling of these substances.
The new guidance (Directive 2005/26/EC) on which ingredients do not need to be identified comes within the transitional period and is based on the opinions provided by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) on the ingredients or substances in question.
In 2003, an independent study was carried out for the European Commission with an evaluation of food labelling legislation. This was used as a basis for the recent review of the legislation.
Read related EPHA articles on food labelling of allergens in Europe and the USA.
