Fediaf happy with new petfood labelling code

 Labelling and marketing of pet food must meet the interests and the requirements of consumers, control authorities and producers alike: Regulation 767/2009 on the Marketing and Use of Feed modernizes the relevant rules and promotes the development of EU Codes of Good Labelling Practice as tools for co-regulation.

 

Fediaf have developed – in cooperation with interested parties, member states and the European Commission – a structured and detailed 64-page Pet Food Code explaining and interpreting the legislative requirements.

 

How should vitamins be labelled? What traceability tools are available? What does “rich in beef” mean? Are “health” claims permitted and what are the rules?

 

These and many other questions are answered in the Fediaf Code as a tool to ensure harmonised understanding by all parties concerned throughout the EU.

 

Consumer information about pet food is provided in many ways, via on-pack information as well as off-pack by means of leaflets, websites, advertising etc. These different media are also covered by the EU legislation and are explained in the Fediaf Code.

 

The Code should be used by companies and authorities alike alongside the EU legislation to guarantee that products placed on the market are labelled according to the legislation in force.

 

A specific “layman’s guide” explains in everyday language the meaning of the various information on the label, and the Code is an important step by the industry to show its transparency to consumers.

 

The Code successfully developed under the EU co-regulation approach is user friendly, includes a glossary, practical examples and a reference list of applicable legislation. 

 

The Code itself is available on the European Commission website and on the FEDIAF website and its title and reference were published in Official Journal C n° 358, p. 49