| LABELS The paper of identity of what we eat and we drink
Beside the fresh products, a big quota of our food ration is covered by the preserved products and manufactured. For these products, the label brought on the wrapping is a tool of fundamental information for the consumer. The European union has published in March 2000 an Unique Text, the directive 2000/13/CE, that it replaces all the norms emanated in subject and it repeals all the preceding directives. The new directive of the UE foresees that the label of a product food manufactured amount carried over these specifications:
1. The denomination of sale, that is the name of the anticipated product from the law (for example: pasta to the egg, chocolate to the milk, bald tomatoes in box).
2. The list of the ingredients, brought in order of decreasing (from the present ingredient in great quantity actually to that present in the lowest quantity) weight. Among the ingredients the possible additives must also be brought (dyes, preservative etc.).
3. The quantity of some ingredients or categories of ingredients.
4. For the foods in packings preconfezionati, the clean quantity in weight or in volume (for the liquids). If a product is sold absorbed in a liquid (for example the bald tomatoes, the olives in brine, the fruit sciroppata), then you/he/she must be suitable also the quantity of dripped product.
5. The least term of maintenance or, in the case of very perishable products, the date of
expiration. The least term of maintenance is pointed out with the sentence "to preferably be consumed within...", and it is the date up to which the product maintains unchanged its characteristics of quality; a food can also be consumed however after such term. The due date is pointed out instead with the sentence "to be consumed himself/herself/themselves within..." and it represents the date within which the product must be consumed.
6. The formalities of maintenance or use, if particular shrewdness must be adopted.
7. The name and the social reason and the address of the manufacturer or the confezionatore or of the established seller in the Community.
8. The place of origin or origin, when the omission of such indication can induce in error the consumer around the origin or the real origin of the food product.
9. The instructions of use, when the omission doesn't allow the consumer to make an appropriate use of the product.
10. For the drinks with a superior alcoholic content to the 1 ,2% in volume, the real alcoholic degree.
11. The actual in force legislation in Italy also foresees the indication of the lottery of affiliation of the product, in practice her "departed of production" of the food. | |
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A label is not truthful, and therefore outlaw, in these cases:
* if it deceives on the characteristics of the product;
* if it attributes ownership or effects that it doesn't possess to the product;
* if it suggests that a product possesses particular characteristics when the analogous products almost all possess her;
* if it attributes fit ownership to the product to take care of or to prevent an illness (the mineral waters and the products are excluded destined to a particular feeding);
* if the form or the aspect conferred to the products or to their packings are such to be deceived the consumer.
He often comes upon in labels that, also without being expressly outlaw, they don't acquit well to their duty to inform in clear way the consumer. Here is some example:
- The hidden label. Understands of incappare in beautiful and attractive wrappings, that ask however for the use of the glasses for the reading of the information unfortunately, written with microscopic characters with a little evident colors and in a little accessible points. For some products he comes even to stamp the ingredients on the line of welding of the wrappings or on the wrappers that are destroyed to the first opening.
- The ingredients ghost. How motto, the specific law that, if in the presentation of the product particular ingredients are quoted, these must be brought in the list of the ingredients with the indication of the present percentage. Reading with care the label, it is not difficult to realize that many products are publicized for the employment of expensive and natural ingredients, present in reality in least quantity.
- The foreign language. In some labels all the indications are also brought in various foreign languages. You/they can create confusion, above all if they exaggeratedly crowd the label making the individualization of the text difficult in Italian.
- The games to prizes. It is very frequent that competed, offered promotional and harvests to points find ample space on the label, to loss of information more useful even if less tempting.
- The name of imagination. You/he/she must finally be noticed, that the denomination of sale of the product should jump to the eye with great evidence of its name of imagination. This last has in fact the solo purpose to make "nice" the product to the consumer in comparison to the competition and it doesn't give indications instead on the real quality.
Food in the eye of the cyclone, the meat, also that not manufactured, must bring a label, sets on the vaschetta or on the poster beside the bench refrigerator. It deals with a real paper of identity that brings:
* a code of tracciabilità (a number) that serves to identify the animal or the group of animals from which the meat originates
* the name or it initials her/it some Country where the animal has been butchered and the number identificativo of the slaughter house
* the name or it initials her/it some Country where the animal has been sectioned and the number identificativo of the establishment
A label that, beside the code of tracciabilità, amount carried over the indications IT M S, identifies a butchered (M) animal and sectioned (S) in Italy (IT).
From 2002 on the label of the meats produced in Europe the indication of the country it will also be found where the animal has been raised and the formalities of breeding. The denominations DOP and IGP
Also the knowledge of these marks is an element of useful information for the consumer. They are two important types of protection and guardianship of the tipicità in the sector agroalimentare, founded to community level to valorize the products of quality. DOP means "Denomination of Protected Origin", while IGP is for "Protected Geographical Indication." These denominations are applied to alimentary products of different nature: cheeses, meats, oils, breads, excluded the wines and the alcoholic drinks.
* The denomination of protected origin points out an agricultural product or to feed, native and entirely produced in a specific (region, place or country) zone, with particular characteristics of due quality essentially to the geographical environment, comprehensive of the natural and human factors.
* The geographical indication serves to designate an agricultural product instead or to feed, native of a specific zone, of which one determined quality can be attributed to the geographical origin. The products with geographical indication don't necessarily owe to be produced in the suitable area, but it is enough that they are transformed there or elaborate.
The difference among the two indications, denomination of origin and geographical indication, is really in this: while for the denomination of origin the whole productive cycle must have developed in the area of denomination, for the geographical indication enough that is developed you a part of the cycle, that that brings to the ended product. You can use this way first subjects coming from other regions. The label nutrizionale
Beside the indications obbligatorie for law, on the wrapping of the alimentary products you/he/she can also find place one "label nutrizionale", that brings the energetic (in kcal and kJ) value and the content of nourishing principles. It certainly concerns an useful tool to hold better under control his/her own feeding. On the label nutrizionale, besides the energetic value, it is permitted to bring the quantity of:
* proteins
* carbohydrates
* fat
* alimentary fibers
* sodium
* vitamins and present mineral salts in meaningful quantity, also pointing out in what measure those contained in the product can cover the daily requirement.
Unfortunately, not all the labels nutrizionalis are equally clear. Particularly it would be sensible that the data of composition were also always suitable for a portion of consumption, over that for 100 grams product. 
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