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New for nutrition labelling - order and parameter changes

According to Article 25 of the Ordinance of the Swiss Department of Home Affairs (DFI) from 23rd November 2005 on the Labelling and Advertising of Foodstuffs (OEDAI) (updated 1st January 2013), nutritional information of nutrition labelling must appear in a set order. This order and its parameters were adjusted during the annual revision of the food law regulation on 3rd December 2013.

Example comparison of the old (left) and new (right) order of nutrition labelling with effect from 3rd December 2013, including GDAs*​​​​​​​

Nutrition labelling is mandatory as soon as a product label contains nutritional or health claims. This also applies to the special foodstuffs defined in the Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs on Special Foodstuffs from 23rd November 2005 (updated 1st January 2012). If the product is not advertised with these so-called nutritional and health claims (e.g. “diet”, “sugar-free”, “low sodium”), nutrition labelling can appear on an optional basis. However, the nutritional information must still be “referenced on the ready-to-serve foodstuff” if the food packaging has detailed instructions for preparation. In the case of all other products, the nutritional information must be referenced “on the food at the time of sale”. A transitional period of two years has been granted for labels to be adapted. Within this transitional period, labels on food packaging must be adapted, whereby foodstuffs may be “manufactured, introduced and labelled under the previous law” until the deadline. After the expiry of the transitional period, the foodstuffs may be sold on the market under the old law until stocks are exhausted.

It remains unchanged that the nutritional information must relate to average values. This information can be very reliably determined as part of nutritional analysis. A representative sample size is required for this purpose, from which a composite sample can be made. Ideally, this composite sample will be prepared from the contents of a minimum of three to five product wrappers from different batches in order to intercept process variations and to obtain meaningful average values.

UFAG Laboratorien AG is a reliable and competent partner in nutritional analysis.