FSA News Item, 6 November 2008
A copy of the FSA Guidance document is available on this site. See: Country of Origin Guidance - October 2008
The Food Standards Agency has published revised guidance for industry and enforcement authorities on country of origin labelling, as part of its continuing commitment to improve food labelling for consumers.
The improved guidance will benefit consumers by encouraging industry to adopt consistent labelling practices. The objective of the guidance is to help food businesses, including manufacturers, producers, retailers and caterers, to comply with the law and avoid misleading labelling. It will also assist enforcement authorities in identifying misleading country of origin labelling.
Presented in an easy-to-use format, the guidance is in three separate parts explaining: the legal requirements that need to be followed on food labels; how to avoid misleading labelling; and advice on best practice. In particular, it addresses how the true place of origin of a food might best be declared and provides examples of where it may be necessary to clarify where a product is made to avoid consumer confusion.
The revised guidance represents voluntary best practice for UK businesses.