November 2, 2010: A major overhaul of South Africa’s labelling legislation could see non-compliant manufacturers having their products removed from supermarket shelves, warns industry-leading labelling solutions provider, Labelpak.

Stricter controls relating to product information on all labels are being introduced by the Department of Health as part of Regulation R146, in an attempt to bring more transparency to the consumer market, and to crack-down on manufacturers breaching the regulations.

These substantial reforms, which cover every industry and will be enforced by law from March 2011 through a self-regulating system, whereby competitors are expected to report each other for non-compliance.

Labelpak director Mark Sherriff points out that it is the responsibility of the printer to help smaller companies with the details of the new regulations. As a result, Labelpak is providing a lower cost changeover to existing clients.

“Large and small customers alike will be turning to us for assistance, and we are prepared to assist manufacturers with existing labels during the transition period at a reduced rate. This can make a notable difference to overall costs; however, manufacturers must be aware that time is running out,” he stresses.

Sherriff warns that in addition to running the risk of having their products taken off the shelves, manufacturers may also face large origination costs when dealing with compliance processes.

“Manufacturers must make sure that they get all the necessary label changes right the first time, otherwise everything will have to be redone at a substantial cost.

These changes are comprehensive, and entail a number of modifications. In order to meet these new requirements, a thorough detailing of label design must be looked at - from images and bar codes, to trademarks,” explains Sherriff.

An example of this new legislation can be found in nutrient content claims. Under the new regulations, the label will not be able to read ‘virtually fat free’, but rather state, for example, that it contains less than 5 grams of fat per 100 grams.

Owing to the fact that the document outlining the R146 labelling regulations is broad and complex, Labelpak has briefly indentified the following key label and advertising changes which need to be understood;

A Majority of labels will change.

Most product claims will be ruled out:

This includes nutrient function claims, enhanced-function claims, reduction of disease claims, pre and pro-biotic claims, glycemic index claims, slimming claims and trans-fat claims.

Country of origin options:

 Are reduced to ‘Product of’, ‘Produced in’, ‘Manufactured in’, ‘Made in’ or ‘Packed in’.

Date/batch identification:

Date Batch Identification is mandatory.

Food additives:

Quantitative ingredient declaration must be indicated in the ingredient list.

Allergens:

Must be declared in the ingredient list

Misleading descriptions:

Include a word, statement, phrase, logo or pictorial representation that implies healthy/healthier/additive-free/veterinary medicine-free/more humane treatment or rearing of any animals.

Nutritional information:

Nutritional information where listed should be given in tabular format

Sherriff notes that while the new legislation does pose a number of challenges to the manufacturing industry, he also admits that it brings the advantage of improved consumer rights. “Under the new legislation, the consumer will be provided with more accurate information, and any unscrupulous manufacturers will be held accountable for providing any misleading or untrue product information,” he concludes.

For detailed information on the new labelling legislation, contact Labelpak on 011 796 7900 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it