VERPACKUNGSTECHNOLOGIE MADE IN GERMANY Mehr Informationen unter: www.sealpac.de FOOD LEBENSMITTEL 09.08.16 11:58 flavour enhancers. Artificial flavours should not be added to such products. Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 has to be complied with for information concerning colourings and additives. Information about food additives can be found in Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No. 1333/2008. Nut-rition claims such as ‚fat-free‘ and ‚no fat‘ are sub-ject to Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No. 1924/2006. These claims may only be used with a concentrati-on of up to 0.5g of fat per 100g or 100ml. ‚None‘ doesn‘t always mean ‚none‘ A barbecue chicken wings producer describes his product as containing ‚no flavour enhancers‘. However, checking the list of ingredients reveals that yeast extract has been used. This, in fact, serves to intensify the flavour. On the chicken salad packaging of various producers, we have often found the visually striking information: ‚no preservatives‘. Nevertheless, the declaration of ingredients reveals the use of spirit vinegar and acetic acid – both these additives have a preserva-tive effect. This is what consumer agencies refer to as ‚deceptive claims‘. There are surely better ways to advertise good products. To put it another way – do these questionable claims from advertising specialists forfeit the potential of their products? Moreover, is the newly earned consumer trust in Clean Label also at stake? A happy-looking chicken on sausage packaging, for instance, suggests to the customer that the only meat found in the sausage is chicken. This might be the case, but you should look at the list of ingredients to be certain. Mistakes are possible The claims on the packaging aren‘t the only descriptions which can mislead consumers, as labels for meat and sausage products also fall under this category. A 2013 study conducted by Agrifood Consulting shows the typical misjud-gements consumers make. A third of the people interviewed believed that a sausage beginning with the word ‚veal‘ in the name was made exclusively of veal. As for poultry sausages, where no special legis-lation exists, almost a third assumed that poultry was the only meat they contained. Food descriptions for meat and meat products are subject to the principles of the German Food Code. The Code was revised at the end of 2015 and now, for instance, it has been determined that ‚veal‘ sausages must contain more than 50% beef from veal or young cattle (previously 15%). If small amounts of pork are used in the sausage, this must be indicated in the description so it reads ‚veal liver sausage with pork‘, for example. Furthermore, when ‚100% poultry‘ or ‚pure poultry sausage‘ can be read on the label, the meat content of the poul-try sausage really does only consist of poultry. Viennese sausages from Vienna? In addition to naming the animal species on meat and sausage goods labels, ambiguities can also arise on the part of the consumer when it comes to references to place names. The names of places and regions can often be found in product names. Consumers, therefore, frequently assume that there is a connection between the product and the place or region and, out of ignorance, do not differen-tiate between a protected designation of origin and information which makes no reference to the real origin. In one survey, around 20% of participants assumed that Viennese sausages are manufactured in Vienna. Only a few more percent realised that the geographical designation of Nuremberg grilled sausages is protected in accordance with Regu- lation (EU) No. 1151/2012 and that the product has to be produced in the Nuremberg region. In order for Clean Label to really live up to its name and objectives, certain conditions still have to be fulfilled by both producers and consumers. A larger percentage of consumers requires more information about healthy eating, the wide variety of meat industry products and their descriptions as well as a better understanding of lists of ingredients. No ingredients may be depic-ted on packaging if they are not actually in the product itself. The composition should be clearly identifiable from the product description. A matter of enlightenment The principles for meat and meat products do permit invented names and isolate used geographical indications, yet it must be possible to clearly differentiate them from confusingly similar products. Producers should refrain from using product labelling and advertising which can mislead consumers. More advertising and explanations seem to be necessary, especially in regard to product properties and quality as well as the proven health safety of additives. Dr. Heinz Schleusener information about a product. Naturally, this has to conform to relevant product labelling stipulations. Nevertheless, the consumer may be misled or even misinformed, especially when it comes to so-called ‚concealment‘ advertising. The producer is not always at fault in such cases, as the consumers‘ lack of knowledge can also lead to misconceptions. This demonstrates that the goal to use Clean Label as the perfect opportunity to present a product in an optimal way, to offer correct information and describe its actual benefits, has not yet been achie-ved. Products are often advertised on the strength that they either do not contain, or are free from particular ingredients. As an advertising technique, it appears that this type of information is most effective when the lettering is printed in green. However, such references do not guarantee that other ingredients, which can replace additives and their functions, have also not been included. This is why consumer agencies are constantly raising awareness about such practices. Typical examples of this are the labels ‚no colou-rings‘ on strawberry yoghurts, where pumpkin and carrot concentrates have been used as colouring agents, or pepperoni pizzas which are implicitly advertised as containing no artificial flavours or 2016 15
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