An End to 99% Fat Free Claims
Foods that make health or nutritional claims have been tested by Warwickshire County Council Trading Standards Service and their CEnTSA partners to see whether they comply with new food labelling regulations.
Regulations that will now strictly control and in some cases ban, claims such as ‘99%’ fat free, ‘less than 3% fat’, ‘no added sugar’, 40% less salt’, or ‘a good source of vitamins’.
The regulations have been introduced to help ensure that health and nutrition claims amongst other things, are not false or misleading, encourage excessive consumption or imply that a balanced and varied diet is not adequate.
198 different foods were sampled across the West Midlands region and 53 foods did not meet the new requirements for making a claim.
Problems included:
* Foods that claimed to be ‘X% fat free’, a claim that the regulations now ban (a food that is 95% fat free could imply it is low in fat when that 5% fat might make it a medium or even a high fat product).
* Health claims on foods based on the high levels of one nutrient alone e.g. fibre – banned if the product contains high levels of fat, sugar or salt, and this fact is not given equal prominence.
* A food that claimed to be salt free but whose salt content was 50 times the limit of 0.0125g/100g for a salt-free claim.
* Fats and spreads that claimed to be ‘free from’ or ‘low in’ saturates, but were not.
* Foods that claimed to be ‘high in’ or a ‘rich source of’, ingredients such as Omega 3 - prohibited unless evidence based and approved.
Warwickshire Trading Standards tested ten branded foods including meat, custard, soup, yogurt and milk alternatives for their ‘low fat’, ‘fat free’, or ‘% fat free’ claims. Half failed, for example because some were labelled ‘98% or 99% fat free, (percentage terms now prohibited by the regulations), or because their ‘fat free’ claims were not valid.
The regulations came into force in July 2007, but manufacturers have been given time to amend their packaging before the regulations become fully effective.
Officers are now working with businesses and colleagues across the Country to ensure that labelling is amended to comply with the regulations. Repeat samples will be taken to ensure that required amendments have been made
As always if consumers have complaints about any aspect of food labelling they are asked to contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 who will re-direct any complaints indicating breaches of legislation to their local Trading Standards officers.
Businesses and consumers requiring more information on food can visit our website: http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/tradingstandards