Front of Pack Labelling required by the end of the year?

It has been five years since we saw the publication of the draft Regulations relating to the labelling and advertising of foodstuffs (R. 429), in which guidelines were set out for voluntary front of pack (FOP) labelling. Speaking at a recent event, the Chief Director of Nutrition at the Department of Health, Lynn Moeng, announced that we may see mandatory FOP labelling for processed foods as early as the end of the year (or early 2020)!

The FOP labelling criteria according to R. 429 included traffic-light labelling of nutrients, where red, yellow and green are used to indicate the levels of key nutrients: energy, total sugar, fat, saturated fat, and total sodium. The criteria were based on the cut-off values for ‘free of’ and ‘low in’ claims for these nutrients.

Previously falling under the Directorate Food Control, FOP labelling is now mandated under the Directorate Nutrition. They propose a warning sign on the front of processed-food packaging that warns the consumer if the product is high in fat, salt and/or sugar. These are the nutrients that are associated with increased health risks.

The aim is to empower the consumer to make an informed purchasing decision at a glance. The department wants the warning to be easy to interpret; as a result, they are currently conducting research on what will work best for the South African consumer.

The FOP warning will not specify the amount of the nutrient present in the product; however, this detail will be available in the nutritional information table elsewhere on the label.

A secondary benefit to FOP labelling that is proposed is that food manufacturers may formulate products lower in these nutrients, in order to avoid having to put the warning on the front of their packaging. We have four months to go before the end of the year; let’s see if the Department delivers…

To help you understand how to apply the regulations and navigate the regulatory system in South Africa, contact FACTS.