Understanding Symbols and Logos

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Helping you and your team to be compliant

Food labelling, ingredients and legislation

2The UFS Food Labelling Guide 2012 is published by:

Unilever South Africa (Pty) Ltd.

15 Nollsworth Crescent, La Lucia Ridge

La Lucia Ridge Offi ce Estate

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Copyright 2012

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Symbols and logos Packaging and labels communicate how we use, transport, recycle or dispose of the package or product. The packaging label can also communicate important properties or information about the product enclosed. Marketers use labelling to encourage potential buyers to purchase the product.

Many types of symbols or logos that appear on

product packaging are nationally and internationally

standardised. These symbols and logos are a means

of product certifi cation and communicate certain

aspects of the product pertaining to consumer use,

safety or dietary requirements. Symbol programs

have been instituted by companies to promote

their products and provide easily understandable

information to aid people in their food purchases.

However not all company programs are consistent

with one another, which makes deciphering symbols

and logos diffi cult for the end consumer.

This chapter will demystify the product symbol

or logo for you, making it easier to make better

product choices, positively impacting your menu

and your guests dining experience.

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Chapter 6 Symbols and logos

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Kosher labelling

Kosher symbols are registered trademarks of kosher certification organizations, and can only be placed on a food label with the organizations permission.

Kosher certification agencies examine the ingredients used to make the food, supervise the process by which the food is prepared, and periodically inspect the processing facilities to make sure that kosher standards are maintained. Different kosher certifying agencies tend to follow different kosher certification standards, some more strict and others more lenient.

The two kosher symbols used on Unilever Food Solutions packaging are detailed here.

Halaal labelling

The word Halaal is Arabic for permissible and is a term that governs the items and foodstuff permissible for Muslims to useand consume in their daily lives and in accordance with Muslim dietary laws.

Various governing bodies such as the MJC (Muslim Judicial Council) Halaal Trust have assumed the duty to supervise, investigate and watch over all foods. in order to ascertain and ensure whether they may or may not be consumed by Muslims.

Registered Halaal Accredited producers may display a Halaal logo on their packaging and advertising material.

101

Heart Mark Heart & Stroke Foundation South Africa

The Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa (HSF) plays a leading role in the fight against preventable heart disease and stroke. As part of a broader nutrition education initiative, the HSF has the Heart Mark endorsement programme, which gives food producers and manufacturers the opportunity to use, under licence, the Heart Mark for approved products.

For more information contact [email protected]

Suitable for vegetarians

This symbol is on packaging for people who want only vegetarian products. By putting this symbol or similar ones on a product, the manufacturer declares that the food packed is free from any non vegetarian items.

Please refer to Dietary requirements section in this tool for further information on vegetarian diets.


102

Eco-friendly labelling

Dolphin friendly

There is no official dolphin friendly packaging label in South Africa. Products labelled with dolphin friendly labels are supposedly caught without causing harm to dolphins, but these fishing methods may not necessarily apply to harm done to other marine life species such as turtles or birds. Using dolphin friendly labelled products should be done at the operators discretion.

WWF & SASSI

WWF-SASSI (the WWF Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative) aims to increase the awareness of seafood consumers around different species of fish, discourage them from choosing illegal species, and guide them towards more ocean-friendly choices. As a consumer awareness programme, SASSI is neither an eco-label nor an endorsement of specific products or businesses, but advocates that consumers look for the MSC eco-label for third-party independent assurance of sustainability in wild-capture fisheries. Because SASSI supports the MSC as the leading marine eco-label, MSC-labelled products are automatically placed on the SASSI green list.

For more information, visit www.wwf.org.za/sassi

An eco-label on a product provides surety to the consumer that the product

has been produced in accordance with certain environmental standards.

Marine Stewardship Council certified

The Marine Stewardship Council is an international non-profit organisation set up to help transform the seafood market to a sustainable basis. The MSC runs the only certification and ecolabelling programme for wild-capture fisheries consistent with the ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards and the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (UN FAO) Guidelines for the Eco-labelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries. When used on seafood products or menus the blue MSC ecolabel indicates full traceability back to a fishery that has been certified against the MSCs environmental standard for sustainable fishing.

WWF-SASSI recognizes the MSC as the worlds leading ecolabel for wild-caught seafood. For more information refer to: www.msc.org

103

Proudly South African

The buy local campaign

The Proudly South African Campaign encourages the Nation to make personal and organisational contributions to economic growth and prosperity in South Africa, thereby increasing employment opportunities and reinforcing national pride.

The qualifying criteria for Proudly SA membership are:

Local content

At least 50% of the cost of production must be incurred in South Africa and there must be substantial transformation of any imported materials.

High quality product

The product or service must be of a proven high quality.

Fair labour practice

The company must comply with labour legislation and adhere to fair labour practices.

Environmental standards

The company must be environmentally responsible and adhere to production processes that are environmentally friendly and acceptable.


104

Internationally recognised eco-labelling

Recycling

Recyclable packaging material. It signifies that the packaging material is recyclable, thus helping to protect the environment.

POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET) is a material widely used for packaging, especially drinks containers. It is 90% recyclable and the symbol opposite reminds people of this fact.

Clean City symbol

Keep your city clean. This symbol instructs peopleto throw the packaging into a dustbin and not to litter,to protect the environment.

Fairtrade certified

Fairtrade certification is a product certification system designed to allow people to identify products that meet agreed environmental, labour and developmental standards. Overseen by a standard-setting body, Fairtrade International (FLO), and a certification body, FLO-CERT, the system involves independent auditing of producers to ensure the agreed standards are met. Members commit to biodiversity-enhancing practices, ensuring childrens rights, supporting safe working conditions and other fair-trade measures, and documenting fairtrade labour policies.

For more information on Fairtrade in South Africa visit www.fairtradelabel.org.za

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FAQs

Is this product certifi ed Kosher by a credible authority?

Products that have been certifi ed as Kosher can only be labelled with the kosher symbols with permission of a kosher certifi cation organisation.

Kosher certifi cation agencies follow different kosher certifi cation standards, some more strict and others more lenient. They examine the ingredients used to make the food, supervise the process by which the food is prepared, and periodically inspect the processing facilities to make sure that kosher standards are maintained.

In South Africa the two kosher symbols used on Unilever Food Solutions packaging are:

What is the difference between Milchik and Parev?

Milchik is a kosher product that contains milk solids, whereas Parevis a kosher product that contains no milk solids.

Below are some frequently asked questions from a chefs perspective concerning symbols and logos found on pack.

107

Is this product certifi ed Halaal by a credible authority?

The word Halaal is Arabic for permissible and is a term that governs the items and foodstuff permissible for Muslims to use and consume in their daily lives and in accordance with Muslim dietary laws.

Various governing bodies such as the MJC (Muslim Judicial Council) Halaal Trust and SANHA (South African National Halaal Authority) have assumed the duty to supervise, investigate and watch over all foods etc. in order to ascertain whether they may or may not be consumed by Muslims.

Registered Halaal Accredited producers may display a Halaal logo on their packaging and advertising material. From a consumer point of view, consumers will have the assurance and guarantee that all products bearing the logo are: Halaal compliant in accordance to Islamic (Shariah) Law and MJC Halaal Trust Standards.

They will know that products are monitored on a regular basis by qualifi ed Halaal monitors and auditors; continuously being tested to meet the demand for the production of high quality food products and Halaal compliancy; comply and adhere with every aspect of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) programme; hygiene standards as recommended in the International Code of Practice General Principles of Food Hygiene.

Consumers are guaranteed that all raw material / ingredients found in MJCHT Halaal certifi ed products originate from a Halaal source and are investigated by qualifi ed Halaal Auditors.

Can any products be labelled with the Heart Mark?

Companies wishing to make use of the Heart Mark need to have their product(s) tested by an independent laboratory. When the product(s) comply with the established criteria, for fat (saturated and trans fats), cholesterol, sodium, added sugar and fi bre (where applicable), the company can enter into a formal licensing agreement with the Heart & Stroke Foundation.


109

How do I know if this product packaging is recyclable?

Look carefully at the packaging of products you purchase. Products where the packaging shows either of the green symbols below is recyclable. All packaging with the PET logo reminds consumers that the packaging is made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and is 90% recyclable.

Is this product locally produced using local ingredients?

If a product is locally produced and the manufacturer is a member of the Proudly South African organisation, the product or service will display the following logo:

In order to qualify for Proudly SA membership, products or services must fulfi l the following criteria:

Local contentAt least 50% of the cost of production must be incurred in South Africa and there must be substantial transformation of any imported materials.

High quality productThe product or service must be of a proven high quality.

Fair labour practiceThe company must comply with labour legislation and adhere to fair labour practices.

Environmental standardsThe company must be environmentally responsible and adhere to production processes that are environmentally friendly and acceptable.


242

Data sources

The Consumer Protection Act

South African Government Online, 2012. What is

the Consumer protection Act. [Online] http://

www.info.gov.za [Retrieved on 10 October 2012]

Eldin Food Consulting, 2012. Your Specialist in

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eldin.co.za [Retrieved on 10 October 2012]

A Guide to the Consumer Protection Act, PDF

Online, 2012. What is the Consumer Protection

Act? [Online PDF] http://www.restaurant.org.za/

pdf/A_Guide_To_The_Consumer_Protection_Act.

pdf [Retrieved 10 October 2012]

Understanding food labels

South African Department of Health, 2012. Food

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gov.za/ [Retrieved 4th December 2012]

Food ingredients & additives

The Multilingual Food Information Site, 2012.

Food Additives. [Online] http://www.food-info.

net [Retrieved 20 August 2012]

European Food Information Council, 2012. Focus

on Food Additives. [Online] http://www.eufi c.org

[Retrieved 20 August 2012]

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Food and Agriculture Organization of the United

States, 2012. [Online PDF] http://www.fao.org/

food/food-safety-quality/scientifi c-advice/jecfa/

jecfa-additives/en [Retrieved 20 August 2012]

L. K. Mahan; S. Escott-Stump. Krauses Food,

Nutrition and Diet Therapy. Elsevier. 11th

edition. 2004

E. Whitney; S. Rady Rolfes. Understanding

Nutrition. Wadsworth Publishing. 11th

edition. 2007

REGULATION (EC) No 1333/2008 OF THE

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

of 16 December 2008 on food additives

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.

do?uri=OJ:L:2008:354:0016:0033:en:PDF

COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 1129/2011

of 11 November 2011 amending Annex II

to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European

Parliament and of the Council by establishing

a Union list of food additives http://eur-lex.

europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.

do?uri=OJ:L:2011:295:0001:0177:En:PDF

Dietary requirements

Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, 2012.

Common Food Allergens. [Online] http://www.

foodallergy.org [Retrieved 4th December 2012]

European Food Information Council, 2012. Focus

on Food Allergens. [Online] http://www.eufi c.org

[Retrieved 4th December 2012]

The Food Allergy Initiative, 2012. Food Allergies

Overview. [Online] http://www.faiusa.org


National Health Service, 2012. Living With

Allergy. [Online] http://www.nhs.uk [Retrieved

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Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 2012. Food-

Consumer Centre Food Allergies. [Online]

http://www.inspection.gc.ca [Retrieved 4th

December 2012]

Allergy Society of South Africa, 2012. Page for

Patients. [Online] http://www.allergysa.org


The Anaphylaxis Campaign, 2012. Food and

Catering. [Online] http://www.anaphylaxis.org.

uk [Retrieved 4th December 2012]

The British Allergy Foundation, 2012. Types

of Allergies. [Online] http://www.allergyuk.org


Statistics South Africa. Census 2001. 10th

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publications/P0302/P03022010.pdf [Retrieved

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243

The Vegetarian Society, 2012. Food Help for

Caterers. [Online] http://www.vegsoc.org/page.

aspx?pid=506 [Retrieved 4th December 2012]

The British Diabetic Foundation, 2012. Caring

for People with Diabetes. [Online] http://www.

diabetes.org.uk [Retrieved 4th December 2012]

The American Heart Association, 2012. Getting

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heart.org [Retrieved 4th December 2012]

Nutrition Education Services Oregon Dairy

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ifanca.org [Retrieved 4th December 2012]

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the prevention of chronic diseases. Report of a

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Symbols and logos

Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa,

2012. Healthy Heart. [Online] http://www.

heartfoundation.co.za [Retrieved 15

November 2012]

SASSI The Southern African Sustainable

Seafood Initiative, 2012. [Online] http://www.

wwfsassi.co.za [Retrieved 15 November 2012]

Marine Stewardship Council, Certifi ed

Sustainable Seafood, 2012. [Online] http://

www.msc.org [Retrieved 15 November 2012]

Fairtrade Label South Africa, 2012. What is

Fairtrade. [Online] http://www.fairtradelabel.org.

za [Retrieved 15 November 2012]

Proudly South African, 2012. What is Proudly

South African? [Online] http://www.proudlysa.

co.za [Retrieved 15 November 2012]

Storage

Colorado State University-Extension, 2012.Food

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Service and Oregonian Food Day, 2012. Food

Storage Chart - Food Storage Guidelines Shelf

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244

Storage continued...

Answers Corporation, 2012. Is it safe to eat expired

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chow.com/topics/276180


Understanding Symbols and Logos

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