EU food and drink manufacturers today welcomed the publication of the nationwide survey by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) which provides an insight into consumers’ understanding and views of food labelling on the Irish market.

Members of the CIAA (Confederation of food and drink industries of the EU) welcomed in particular the finding that 87% of consumers considered the nutrition table on a label to be very or fairly important, but most would prefer to see nutrient values stated per portion, than per 100g/ml.

This fully vindicates the industry view that information per portion is most relevant to consumers for making informed dietary choices based on their individual needs.  The industry implemented Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) labelling scheme is based on a portion approach to foods and beverages and provides the information consumers need to evaluate the product’s place in their daily diet. 

Food labelling laws are currently being revised at EU level.  As far as mandatory nutrition labelling[1] is concerned CIAA fully supports the mandatory listing of the ‘Big 8’ nutrients (energy, protein, carbohydrates, sugars, fat, saturates, fibre and sodium) per 100g/100ml on the back-of-pack in the nutrition table to allow consumers to easily compare different foods.  However, manufacturers believe that energy/calories per portion are of most relevance to consumers when making purchasing decisions and support placing the GDA calories icon on the front of the pack.

FSAI Research Study into Consumers’ Attitudes to Food Labelling.

[1] Some members disagree for different strategic reasons (ANIA, LI), with specific aspects only (FIAB), or a combination of the two (EDA); some members could not agree due to timeline of their internal decision making process (ESA). The Brewers of Europe and CEPS call for provisions, which take into account the specific nature of their products.

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