The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (“MAF”) created a new Guide (the “Guide”) dated 20.04.2021 for Turkish Food Codex Food Labelling and Consumer Information Regulation (the “Regulation”). The Guide is published on MAF’s website on 04.05.2021.
The Guide, aims to provide correct information to consumers by the statements used in the promotion and presentation of foods; to assist food business operators in terms of applying the Regulation; and to provide unity in practice.
Important points of the Guide differing from the previous guide are shown below;
- Each statement on the label that can be misleading for the consumer in terms of the identity and ingredient of the food shall be respectively in the same style and same font size.
- Statements regarding the inexistence of flavourings cannot be used on food labels.
- The lactose-free statement can be used for products with a maximum of 10 mg of lactose in 100g/100ml end product.
- Optional statement provisions on Gluten and related examples are amended.
- Food portion size is defined and a portion size table for each kind of food is attached to the Guide.
- It is foreseen that in case the amount of vitamins and minerals of foods is given on the label, % Reference Value shall also be stated.
- The rules regarding the optional repeat of the statements on the label are amended. For instance; the protein/fibrous value that meets the nutritional statement requirement can be re-put in the main sight on the label.
- For a food with "less fat" or "reduced fat" label, the ratio of at least how much fat should be reduced from the normal state is regulated as 30%.
- Additional explanations have been made regarding the net amount of packaged foods.
- Nutritional statements are moved from the annex of the Regulation to the 16. Chapter titled “Nutritional Statements and Requirements”.
- Guide foresees that a “light” statement can be added on the label for foods meeting the requirements for the statements: "reduced" or "less".