Croatia is set to introduce a raft of new food labeling rules, including the use of a 1.2 millimetre font size for better readability, and the obligation of mentioning the freezing date for frozen meat and frozen unprocessed fishery products.
The rules, which also include the inclusion of allergens in the list of ingredients (with fonts that are different to those for other ingredients) applicable to food labeling are prescribed by Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 informing consumers about food, and whose implementation is ensured by the Law on Informing Consumers About Food.
The changes will enable consumers to recognise and make proper use of food in order to make the right purchasing decision based on to their individual dietary needs.
According to Croatia's Ministry of Agriculture, "Information about the food must be accurate, clear and easily understandable to the consumer. It must not be misleading as to the characteristics of food, especially its nature, identity, properties, composition, quantity, durability, country or place of origin, method of production.
"Also to food cannot be attributed effects or properties that it does not have, nor indicated the special characteristics when in fact all similar foods possess these characteristics, particularly emphasizing the presence or absence of certain ingredients and/or nutrients".
Other important novelties regard the use of food terms, or the required information which must accompany the name of the food; the indication of the country or place of origin; specific labeling requirements for minced meat and a nutritional declaration (mandatory nutrition labeling).
The Regulation will be applied from 13 December this year, except for nutritional labeling which will be mandatory from 13 December 2016. However, companies who choose to voluntarily specify the nutritional declaration before 2016, will need to quote "new". Food that will be placed on the market or labeled before 13 December 2014, which does not meet the requirements of this Regulation, may be sold until stocks last.
In addition, according to the new Consumer Protection Act, retailers are obliged to state the regular price and the price during the duration of the sales or discounts. Price reductions are possible in three periods - summer, spring and winter - and can last a maximum of 60 days. Discounts may not last longer than 30 days in order to prevent deception of consumers that a product has a low price for a longer period of time.
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