Abstract
Today food information is a fundamental tool to enable consumers to make purchasing decisions that are informed and that ultimately reflect their concerns in terms of health, economic interests and ethical values. Because of the role that food information plays in contemporary societies, over the last decades food labelling has been increasingly subject to regulation by public authorities both at international and national level. The European Union (EU) makes no exception in this respect: currently, the vast majority of food labelling requirements that businesses operating across the EU market must comply with are laid down in European directives or regulations.
Notwithstanding the extensive EU’s regulatory intervention in this area, under certain conditions EU countries may still impose their own national labelling rules for specific product categories or aspects that are not subject to European harmonisation. In Portugal, for instance, national legislation regulates labelling requirements for several food categories (e.g. soft drinks, coffee, vinegar, etc.) and for the provision of origin information of milk, among others. Therefore, the coexistence of European and national labelling requirements ultimately results in a complex web of legal obligations that, on the one hand, business operators are required to observe and, on the other, competent authorities must enforce to make sure that food trade takes place under fair conditions. In light of the above, through the eyes of distinguished academics, professionals, representatives of the competent authorities and of the civil society, this handbook [1] provides the reader with the necessary tools to understand how food labelling is regulated, applied and used in Portugal, including from the perspective of businesses and final consumers. At the same time, it offers valuable insights into possible future developments in this area, notably with regard to front-of-pack nutrition labelling, country of origin information, labelling of alcoholic beverages and animal welfare labelling.
Notwithstanding the extensive EU’s regulatory intervention in this area, under certain conditions EU countries may still impose their own national labelling rules for specific product categories or aspects that are not subject to European harmonisation. In Portugal, for instance, national legislation regulates labelling requirements for several food categories (e.g. soft drinks, coffee, vinegar, etc.) and for the provision of origin information of milk, among others. Therefore, the coexistence of European and national labelling requirements ultimately results in a complex web of legal obligations that, on the one hand, business operators are required to observe and, on the other, competent authorities must enforce to make sure that food trade takes place under fair conditions. In light of the above, through the eyes of distinguished academics, professionals, representatives of the competent authorities and of the civil society, this handbook [1] provides the reader with the necessary tools to understand how food labelling is regulated, applied and used in Portugal, including from the perspective of businesses and final consumers. At the same time, it offers valuable insights into possible future developments in this area, notably with regard to front-of-pack nutrition labelling, country of origin information, labelling of alcoholic beverages and animal welfare labelling.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Edições Afrontamento |
| Number of pages | 346 |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 2021 |