Regulation on the marking of food products

During the Hungarian presidency of the European Union an agreement was reached on the labelling of food products: more consumer friendly labels will be placed on European food products, in order to make it easier for consumers to decide which product is healthy.

The new regulation entered into force on 12 December 2011 and enterprises were granted a 3-year transitional period for adapting to the new rules. Indicating the nutritional value has become obligatory – this is the biggest change – and a minimum font size of the text on labels was also defined. In the case of fresh meat it is now obligatory to indicate the place of origin. On pre-packaged food products nutritional composition information must be indicated and even restaurant menu cards have to inform guests about allergen ingredients.