Food safety chiefs crack down on ‘misleading’ marketing terms

Food safety chiefs are to crack down on misleading food labels like ‘artisan’, ‘farmhouse’, ‘traditional’, and ‘natural’.

Sat, 16 May, 2015 - 01:00

Conall Ó Fá;tharta

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has published guidelines aimed at ensuring consumers are not misled by marketing terms. It will no longer be acceptable to label an item ‘artisan’ if it is in fact mass produced, while consumers will also hopefully be spared the term ‘farmhouse’ for something which is made in a factory.

According to the guidelines, ‘artisan’ can only be used if the product is made in limited quantities by skilled craftspeople using a traditional method in a micro-enterprise and if characteristic ingredients are grown or produced locally.

The term ‘farmhouse’ can be used only if the food is made in a single location on a farm by a micro-enterprise and if the ingredients are grown or produced locally. Soup with vegetable chunks is set to be exempt.

The term ‘traditional’ can only be used if the the food is made to an authentic recipe that has existed for over 30 years, while the term ‘natural’ can only be used in a compound food if the ingredients are formed by nature and not significantly interfered with.

The guidance follows a public consultation carried out by a working group including the FSAI, the FSAI’s Artisan Forum, Food and Drink Industry Ireland, and the Consumers’ Association of Ireland.

Although the guidelines are not legally binding, they are intended to complement food labelling legislation which has penalties for misleading the consumer. Firms will be given until December 2016 to adhere to the rules.

FSAI director of food science and standards Wayne Anderson said the guidance goes a long way to ensuring food marketing terms are not used incorrectly to mislead consumers.