STRONG
QC & QA
47
APR 2017 FOOD FOCUSTHAILAND
statement; theNutritionFactspanel; an ingredientsstatement; anda
statement that gives thenameandplaceof businessof theproduct’s
manufacturer,packer,ordistributor.Labeldesignersshouldnote there
aregeneral requirements for how this informationmust bepresented
in terms of type style and size, aswell as label location.
Thesefivepiecesof informationaremandatory forall food labels,
but label designers shouldbeaware that other informationmay also
be required on the PDP and/or IP if some types of nutrient content
claims aremade.
AllergenLabeling
Undeclaredallergenshavebecome themost commoncauseofU.S.
product recalls due to mislabeling. Most often this is the result of
accidental allergen cross-contact during production or a formulation
change that unwittingly replacesa formerlynon-allergenic ingredient
withan allergen-containing ingredient.
There are two basic options for declaring an allergen on a food
label.First, thedeclarationmaybemade in the ingredientsstatement.
If the allergen is clearly identified by its common name, such as
milk, then no further label declaration is required. If the ingredient is
derived from an allergen, but not clearly identified by name, then a
parenthetical statementmay follow the ingredient in the list to identify
theallergen. For example,wheyprotein isderived frommilkbut does
not contain the word “milk” in its name. In this instance, allergen-
labeling requirements are satisfied by listing “whey protein (milk)” in
the ingredients statement.
The other option for allergen labeling is through the use of a
“Contains” statement. This type of statement lists allergens in the
product immediately after the ingredients statement. In the example
listedabove, themanufacturercould listwheyprotein in the ingredients
statementand follow thatwith “Containsmilk.”Note that the “Contains”
statement must immediately follow the ingredients statement as
a separate line and must use the same font size and style as the
ingredientsstatement.The “C” in “Contains”alsomustbecapitalized.
If amanufacturer chooses to use a “Contains” statement, it must list
all allergens present in theproduct, even if they alsoare identified in
the ingredients statement.
Additional LabelingRequirements
Imported foods must comply with all U.S. labeling requirements. In
addition, processed foods not originallymanufactured or processed
in theU.S.must declare that product’s country of originon the label.
Theonlyexception to this requirement is if theproduct is “substantially
transformed” by further processing in theU.S.
Finally, there are some label elements that are commonly seen
on foodproducts that aresurprisinglynot requiredby regulation.One
example isUPCcoding.Thismaybe requiredbyvariouswholesalers
and/or retailers to facilitate inventorycontrol,pricing,andcollectionof
salesdata, but theyarecompletelyoptional as far as thegovernment
is concerned.
แหล่
งที่
มา / Source
FoodLabelingBasics. 2016.
