The new EU Regulation 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers (FIC), which comes into force on 13 December, requires that certain foods, including frozen meat and frozen meat preparations, state the day, month and year the product was ‘frozen on...’. However, according to a recent report by GS1 UK, many products are still missing these date requirements.
The 14 identified allergenic ingredients, including celery, eggs, mustard, soya and sulphur dioxide, which are used in non-prepacked or loose foods, must be declared either on a label, or on information such as a menu. As well as foodservice outlets, restaurants and delicatessens, catering establishments at schools, hospitals and prisons will also need to comply.
GS1 UK said that although the number of compliant businesses had increased since April this year, there were still a number that had not made the grade. The third in a series of quarterly reports evaluated a basket of 20 products, including prepared ready meals, and meat, with only 11 out of 20 complying at the time the research was collated – up from four out of 20 in April.
Read the Full ArticleMembers help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.