Food labelling

1. Food labels, especially those used on processed and prepared foods, need to convey a great deal of information to consumers. Labels need to tell the consumer what they're buying, how healthy it is, if it contains any ingredient that might affect people with allergies, and how to store and cook it safely.

Prepared and packaged food should list all ingredients in order of weight, including water. Additives must be listed and identified as colourings, preservatives or flavourings. Colourings and preservatives must be listed by their full name, or E-number, or both. Flavourings don't need to be individually named.

The amount of significant ingredients included in a product (for instance the chicken content of a chicken pie, or the amount of strawberries in strawberry yoghurt) must be given as a percentage of the total.

By law all allergens (any ingredient that may cause an allergic reaction, including celery, eggs, milk, peanuts and sulphur dioxide) must be clearly marked.

Although genetically modified (GM) ingredients have to be specified on labels, there is no requirement for ingredients that may be derived from GM-linked sources to be stated. For instance, the GM link to meat, eggs or milk used from animals that are given GM feed, or lecithin (often used in cakes) derived from GM soya would not have to be declared on the label.

2. Knowing the calorie, fat, sugar and salt content of food can help consumers to make healthier food choices. Manufacturers have been reducing the amount of salt, use of trans-fats and sugar in products, but beware misleading claims on the packaging. The term 'No added sugar' could mean sweeteners are used instead of sugar and the food could be high in saturated fat. A low-fat product could still have a high sugar content.

M ost foods include a nutritional breakdown of the amount of energy such as calories (kcal), fats (including saturated), carbohydrates, fibre, salt, sugar and so on, per serving and per 100g, on the pack. This breakdown is only mandatory if the food makes a nutritional claim such as low-fat or reduced salt. In practice, however, most foods carry this breakdown.

The Food Standards Agency has devised a traffic lights system to help shoppers see the levels of fat, sugar and salt that are contained in ready-made foods more easily. Red denotes a high salt, sugar or fat content, green represents low and amber a moderate content. This colour code can be presented as a wheel or a row of lights.

3. Food must carry the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or retailer. However, these details might be misleading because if the main ingredients are imported, a manufacturer does not have to state where these have been sourced from. They can get around this requirement by describing the product as 'produced in the UK'.

A steak and stout pie or a chilled chicken tikka masala could have been made in the UK (and state this on the label), but the meat might have come from Brazil or Thailand.

4. It’s common sense to follow storage instructions to keep food bought in a freezer or fridge for the period advised on the label.

Use-by dates are put on perishable foods such as ready meals, dairy produce and smoked fish. These dates are intended to inform the consumer of the period after which the foods are unsafe to eat. If a product is not eaten by the specified date, they could be unsafe to eat. Once a packet or jar has been opened, follow storage instructions and don't risk keeping the product for longer than advised.

The sell-by or display-until date information is aimed at the shop or retailer. The purpose of these labels is to tell shop workers and managers when the food is approaching its use-by date. The best-before date is a recommendation applied to preserved or longer-lasting foods. Dried or tinned foods are usually not unsafe to eat after the date given, but they may be stale or may have deteriorated in quality after that time.

Ex.12. Read the text then answer the following questions:

1. What information does a label need to convey to consumers?

2. In what way must ingredients be listed on the food label?

3. What can nutritional information tell us about?

4. When nutritional breakdown is necessary to be printed on the package?

5. How does a traffic lights system work?

6. What information do storage instructions include?

Ex.13. Look at the picture and find the items on the label that are required by law.

1)Manufacturer's name and contact details, 2)name of the product, 3)description of the product, 4)weight (NB - some foods are exempt, for example bread), 5)ingredients (listed in descending order of weight), 6)cooking/heating instructions, 7)storage instructions, 8)best-before date, 9)the process used for manufacture.

Ex.14. Explain meanings of these word and phrases in English.

1. Processed foods

2. prepared foods

3. perishable foods

4. additives

5. allergens

6. genetically modified ingredients

7. nutritional breakdown

8. storage instructions

9. use-by dates

10. the sell-by or display-until date

11. the best-before date

Ex.15. Find the following words or expressions in the text about food labelling. Two definitions are given below for each of them. Study the context in which they occur in the text and decide in each case which is the best definition a) or b).

1. to convey	a) to take or carry from one place to another; transport b) to communicate or make known
2. to specify	a) to name or state explicitly or in detail b) to include as an item in a specification
3. to derive	a) to arrive at by reasoning; deduce or infer b) to obtain or receive from a source
4. mandatory	a)required or commanded by authority; obligatory b) of, having the nature of, or containing a mandate
5. to devise	a) to form, plan, or arrange in the mind; design or contrive b) to transmit or give (real property) by will
6. stale	a) having lost freshness, effervescence or palatability b) lacking originality or spontaneity
7. to deteriorate	a) to weaken or disintegrate; decay b) to grow worse; degenerate

Ex.16. Use the words and expressions from ex.15 to complete the following sentences.

1. The importance of food packaging is to _______ a brand identity, to facilitate product use, and to modify the material properties of foods.

2. Packagers can ______ end caps, trays, cushions, and clamshell packaging that best fit their product and shipping methods.

3. If one has knowledge of specific sensitivities of a food or the properties of another product, one can _____ the necessary packaging requirements.

4. _______ labelling is the requirement of consumer products to state their ingredients or components.

5. Food technologists _____ new and improved techniques for the processing, conservation and preservation of food items.

6. Because of constantly changing consumer demands and Food and Drug Administration requirements, things rarely get _____ in the food packaging industry.

7. An understanding of the various factors that cause food to _______ is helpful to ensure that the correct packaging is selected.

Ex.17. Read the following extract and fill each of the gaps with one suitable word. There is an example at the beginning.