Labelling Rules for Fish Products Sold in the EU

January 22, 2015Presenters:

Yannick Dheilly, Trade Commissioner, Processed Food Products and Agriculture, Paris Julie Ferguson-Ceniti, Trade Commissioner, Fish and Seafood EU, BrusselsGeoff Irvine, Executive Director, Lobster Council of Canada

Agenda•Tour de table – introduction of participants•Overview of sector and export status – Geoff Irvine, The Lobster Council of Canada•Overview of new regulations - Yannick Dheilly, Trade Commissioner – Agriculture and Processed Food Products, based in Paris and Julie Ferguson-Ceniti, Trade Commissioner - Fish and Seafood EU based in Brussels•Nutritional information – Yannick Dheilly•Commercial designation and fishing areas/fishing gear – Julie Ferguson-Ceniti•Other relevant issues – Julie Ferguson-Ceniti and Yannick Dheilly•Questions and answers•Outstanding issues•Conclusion and next steps – Geoff Irvine

Canadian Lobster Industry Overview• Total export value $1,324,500,000 year to date (up 15.2 % over 2013), volume

65,110,246 kg (up 3.4 %)• Value – top 10 EU 5 %, Asia 15 %, USA 80 %• Volume – top 10 EU 6.6 %, Asia 19.4 %, USA 74 %• Top 10 countries – USA (note: large volume exported to major markets by

American companies and via American based distribution channels), China, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Belgium, France, Vietnam, UK, Spain

• Top products for EU – live, popsicle packs, whole cooked• 25 processing plants, 25 live shippers - 10,000 employed directly and indirectly• Importance of EU – 500 million consumers, CETA opportunity, long-standing

relationships, stable business environment and traditional market for live and processed Canadian lobster

Overview of new regulations Yannick Dheilly, Trade Commissioner, Paris

and Julie Ferguson-Ceniti, Trade Commissioner, Brussels

* Exceptions apply Ch. IV, CONSUMER INFORMATION, Art. 35

For CN codes 0301-0307 and 12122000 (not chapter 16)if offered for sale to the final consumer or to a mass caterer:

Mandatory labelling information

(a) the commercial designation of the species and its scientific name;

(b) the production method, in particular by the following words "caught” or "caught in freshwater” or "farmed”;

(c) the area where the product was caught or farmed, and the category of fishing gear (as per first column of Annex III); - fish caught at sea = FAO area-freshwater fish = name of body of water + country where it was fished-farmed fish = country of production

(d) whether the product has been defrosted*;

(e) the date of minimum durability, where appropriate.

Regulation (EU) No 1379/2013 on the Common Market Organization for Fish and Seafood Products

6

(a)Commercial designation

• Commercial designations (CDs) are member state competency• “Canadian lobster” can be used in:

• France = Homard Canadien • Croatia = Kanadski hlap• Netherlands = Canadese Kreeft• Belgium = Homard Canadien / Canadese Kreeft• UK = Canadian lobster• Spain = bogavante canadiense

• Other member states that do not allow “Canadian lobster”• Germany = "Hummer" or "Amerikanischer Hummer“• Sweden = “Amerikansk hummer”• Italy = Astice Americano

7

(b) Catch area • fish caught at sea = FAO area, in writing• freshwater fish = name of body of water + country where it was fished• farmed fish = country of production

(c) category of fishing gear (first column of Annex III);

• Seines• Trawls• Gillnets and similar nets• Surrounding nets and lift nets• Hooks and lines• Dredges• Pots and traps

FAQs: http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/cfp/market/faq/index_en.htm

Pocket guide:http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/documentation/publications/eu-new-fish-and-aquaculture-consumer-labels-pocket-guide_en.pdf

Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of

Food information to consumers

New labelling provisions

Yannick Dheilly, Trade Commissioner, Paris

January 2015

Regulation (EU) No 1379/2013 on the

Common organisation of the markets in fishery and aquaculture products

General provisions of Regulation 1169 / 2011

Date of application and transitional measures

Article 54 & 55

13 -

12

- 20

14

13 -

12

- 20

16

Exhaustion of stocks

Exhaustion of stocks

Mandatory nutrition

declaration

Application of the regulation

New nutrition declaration

New nutrition declaration MAY be

used

Status quo

Art. 54 and 55

General provisions of Regulation 1169 / 2011

List of mandatory particulars

(a) name of the food

(b) list of ingredients

(c) “allergens”

(d) QUID

(e) net quantity of the food

(f) date of minimum durability or "use by" date

(g) any special storage conditions and/or conditions of use

(h) name or business name and address of the food business operator referred to in Article 8(1)

(i) country of origin or place of provenance where provided for in Article 26;

(j) instructions for use where it would be difficult to make appropriate use of the food in the absence of such instructions

(k) alcoholic strength by volume for beverages containing more than 1,2 % by volume of alcohol

(l) nutrition declaration Art. 9

• The mandatory nutrition declaration shall include the following:(a) energy value

(b) fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt *

Nutrition declaration

Mandatory nutrition declaration

Art. 30

* ‘salt’ = salt equivalent = sodium × 2,5

Where appropriate, a statement indicating that the salt content is exclusively due to the presence of naturally occurring sodium may appear in close proximity to the nutrition declaration.

• Main difference with Canada: The mandatory nutrition declaration gives values for 100 grams or 100 ml of product, and as an option for a portion

• Form is free, with the exception of font size (1.2 mm) and exact words and order of presentation

• If space permits, in tabular format. Where space does not permit, in linear format. Can be in the back of package, and blend with existing style.

Nutrition declaration (2)

Mandatory nutrition declaration

Art. 30

Nutrition Declaration

Per 100 g

Energy kJ/kcalFat g of which saturates gCarbohydrate g of which sugars gProtein gSalt g

Nutrition declaration (3)

Mandatory nutrition declaration : terms and order

In bold: terms for which there is no flexibility

EN: nutrition declaration :(a) energy value (b) the amounts of fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt.

FR : Déclaration nutritionnelle a) la valeur énergétiqueb) la quantité de matières grasses, d’acides gras saturés, de glucides, de sucres, de protéines et de sel. DE : Nährwertdeklaration a) Brennwertb) die Mengen an Fett, gesättigten Fettsäuren, Kohlenhydraten, Zucker, Eiweiß und Salz. ES : información nutricional: a) el valor energéticob) las cantidades de grasas, ácidos grasos saturados, hidratos de carbono, azúcares, proteínas y sal. IT : dichiarazione nutrizionale: a) il valore energeticob) la quantità di grassi, acidi grassi saturi, carboidrati, zuccheri, proteine e sale. DA : næringsdeklaration : a) energiværdib) mængden af fedt, mættede fedtsyrer, kulhydrater, sukkerarter, protein og salt. SV : næringsdeklaration: a) energiværdib) mængden af fedt, mættede fedtsyrer, kulhydrater, sukkerarter, protein og salt. PT : declaração nutricional: a) Valor energéticob) Quantidade de lípidos, ácidos gordos saturados, hidratos de carbono, açúcares, proteínas e sal. PL : informacja o wartości odżywczej: a) wartość energetyczna; b) ilość tłuszczu, kwasów tłuszczowych nasyconych, węglowodanów, cukrów, białka oraz soli. NL : voedingswaardevermelding: a) de energetische waarde, b) de hoeveelheden vetten, verzadigde vetzuren, koolhydraten, suikers, eiwitten en zout.

Nutrition declaration (4)

Mandatory nutrition declaration: values• Energy in kilojoules (kJ) and kcal • The use of Calories is outdated and not permitted• All nutrients in grams (g) – for 100 grams of product

• There are options:• To extend the list of nutrients (insaturates, omega-3,

fiber, etc. – but not to cholesterol, it is a limited list)• To offer the nutritional information for the portion• To offer the nutritional information as a percentage of

the Daily Recommended Intake (RI) for a portion• Portion size must be relevant but manufacturer’s

decision• To repeat some nutritional information on the front of

package

• Remains optional – until Dec 2016 - unless you make a nutrition or health claim on the package

• Must not be misleading• Title of the table is not mandatory, but a title is frequently

given• There is some flexibility in the words used for the title

Nutrition declaration (5)

Mandatory nutrition declaration : terms and order

Art. 30

Art. 30

Art. 30

Art. 30

Art. 30

Art. 30

Nutrition declaration : Before / After

WeightNet Weight / net drained weight / gross weight

Other specific provisions - allergensSubstances causing allergies or intolerances

Art. 21

• No change in the list of 14 substances (slightly different from the Canadian list) – includes fish, crustaceans, molluscs

• “Allergens” must be indicated in the list of ingredients with a clear reference to the name of the substance or product as listed in Annex II. (lobster is enough)

• The declaration of “allergens” shall not be required in in cases where the name of the food clearly refers to the substance.

• The name of the allergen shall be emphasised through a typeset that clearly distinguishes it from the rest of the list of ingredients, for example by means of the FONT, style or background colour.

• Examples for popsicle pack lobster:

Ingredients: lobster, water, salt

Ingredients: whole cooked lobster, water, salt

Ingredients: whole cooked Canadian lobster, water, salt

Other specific provisions – allergens (2) Substances causing allergies or intolerances

Art. 21

Art. 21

Labelling of cases, boxes (raw materials, ingredients and foodservice)

•Selection of requirements, for frozen fishery products:

•Labels cartons must carry: •product name •importer’s name•establishment number, in the form XXXX CANADA •freezing date •batch number and the date of minimum durability + keep frozen•weight (metric)

•Product labels bags (industrial products) must carry: •product name •establishment number, in the form XXXX CANADA •batch number and date of minimum durability

Other frequent issues

• Sanitary Marks•CANADA + Registration number

• National requirements•Name of the importer (now required at the EU level by Reg 1169 /

2011 article 8.1 and art. 9.1.(h))•Recycling logo (France and Germany)

Popsicle pack lobsters : multilingual labels

Issues: Commercial designations are much longer as they include the commercial designation, the scientific name, the catch area and the fishing gear in each language

Font size: minimum of 1.2 mm for all mandatory information, including nutritional information

Gross weight must disappear

Importer’s name must be displayed

Nutritional information remains an option for the next two years, then it’s mandatory

Multilingual labeling is a challenge

All alterations must be discussed with the European importer as he is held responsible for labeling compliance and accuracy

Questions and answers

Conclusion and next steps

THANK YOU