Food and Licensing Initiatives and Issues

Labelling Advice

The section deals with the composition and labelling of food products within Clackmannanshire. The issues of what information appears where on the label and how it must appear can be very confusing. There are differences between pre-packed food, open food and food pre-packed for direct sale. Nutritional claims provoke additional labelling requirements. Genetically modified food, ingredients given special emphasis and certain claims or pictures on the label can also lead to additional information being required. Comprehensive advice is available from the Food Standards Agency(FSA) and also by contacting us in the Food and Licensing Section. It is always advisable to contact us with details/copies of any proposed labels before they are printed. This can save considerable expense from printing off labels which do not comply and have to be re-printed. Follow these links for the FSA guidance notes (PDF):

Allergenic and Food Intolerance - New Labelling Requirements

Some people are allergic to certain foods. In some cases the allergic reaction is very severe and can be fatal. It is imperative that food businesses ensure they inform consumers when the food they sell contains known allergens. It is also a legal requirement.

Food Labelling Regulations mean that certain ingredients and their derivatives which are allergenic or cause food intolerance must be clearly labelled. The 12 ingredients which must be declared are:

Peanuts
Eggs
Sesame
Milk
Fish
Crustaceans
Soya
Tree Nuts
Wheat/gluten
Mustard
Celery
Sulphates

It is important that all food businesses are aware of when their food must be labelled and what form the labelling must take. Full guidance on these changes can be found by following the link below:

http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/scotlabelguid2004.pdf

Use of the terms "Fresh, Pure, Natural, Homemade, Traditional, Farmhouse, etc.

The Food Standards Agency invited the Food Advisory Committee to report on the use of these terms when applied to food labels. The Committee found that in some cases the terms were being misused and bore little resemblance to what most people expected the terms to mean. If you intend labelling any product with such descriptions, including "farmhouse fresh", "country fresh", "extra fresh", etc you should read the FSA guidance notes by following this link: http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/fresh.pdf

Applying a "use by" or "best before" date

Most food which is prepacked has to carry a date which indicates the time by which it must be used or by which it will remain at its best. If it is a highly perishable food that can support food poisoning bacteria it must have a "use by" date. This is the date by which, if stored correctly, the food will remain safe to eat. Special storage conditions such as "keep refrigerated" must be applied where appropriate. Examples of this type of food are cooked meats, pies, bridies, etc. There is plenty of industry guidance on how long food will keep safe to eat. Other foods which are shelf stable must carry a date by which they are at their best before the quality starts to deteriorate. This is the "best before" date. Examples of these foods are cakes (not fresh cream cakes), biscuits, fruit, pickles, etc.

The use of these dates can cause confusion and in some cases is applied in an arbitrary fashion. If you wrap food and it requires a date code then there must be some basis for the date applied. You must not sell - or display for sale - food after its "use by" date, it is illegal. You may sell food after the "best before" date although you run the risk of prosecution if the food is not of the quality it should be. You are advised, therefore, not to take the risk. The FSA has produced guidance on the use of these dates and this can be found following this link: http://www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/guidancenotes/labelregsguidance/usebydateguid

Waste Cooking Oil From Catering Premises

All caterers who use cooking oil are aware that it must be disposed of in a sensible and responsible manner. A lot of problems are caused by waste cooking oil and other fats and grease from the cooking process getting into the public sewer and causing blockages and damage. This may not only be illegal but can cause a lot of aggravation for all those using the sewer, be a public health nuisance and end up costing the business a lot of money to remedy the situation. A simple precaution is to fit a grease trap which prevents the grease from entering the sewer by separating it out from the waste water. Regular cleaning of the trap is needed to ensure it operates correctly. All waste oil must be collected by a waste company which will dispose of it properly.

There have been changes to what waste cooking oil can be used for once collected. It is now illegal for it to be used in animal feed. It is anticipated that the majority of catering premises will be able to continue to have their waste cooking oil taken away by their usual collectors. However, the collector will now be expected to supply the waste cooking oil to either the biodiesel producers as a raw material for transport fuel, to incinerators who will be able to use it in the generation of electricity, or for other uses such as in the olechemical industry. If you want more information on this change follow this link: http://www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/guidancenotes/foodguid/wastecookingoil