Packaging regulations: Will you master the changes and benefits?

Many US and European Union shoppers and consumers merely glance over nutrition formation on food labels – or fail to comprehend it when they do pay attention. But that’s about to change. Not just because consumers are growing ever more conscientious about what they eat, but because EU and US regulations will ensure that nutrition information is easier to understand and much harder to overlook on the label.

No doubt, this will drive more consumer engagement with packaging. As for brands and manufacturers, some will see the regulations as a burden to be avoided for as long as possible and minimized wherever possible. But others will see it as an opportunity to become more efficient and accurate – and more profitable in the long term. Let’s start with the vital background.

The new regulations – European Union

In the European Union, EU Regulation 1169/2011 establishes a new legal framework for the nutrition information presented to consumers. Ratified in September of 2011, with full compliance for most companies required by December 13, 2014, this new regulation encompasses more than 50 pages of rules that standardize the presentation of food information and lower the administrative burden of tracking data. And, most important, the rules ensure that consumers have complete, unambiguous, highly legible information about the foods they plan to eat prior to purchase.

The main features are outlined in the online pdf.