BRUSSELS—The Council of the European Union proposed a minimum font size of 1.2 mm for food product labeling, which the European Federation of Associations of Health Products Manufacturers (EHPM) said would place a disproportionate burden on food supplement and specialist health product manufacturers.
Even though the proposal allows a 0.9mm font size for packages with a total surface area smaller than 60cm2, the EHPM said the proposal is impractical and does not account for issues such as multi-lingual labels, which are compulsory in some EU Member States, and that products such as food supplements fall under a specific directive which also requires additional mandatory labeling.
EHPM chairman Peter Van Doorn noted in some cases, such as with multivitamins, labels would need to be larger than the packages or containers to accommodate the larger font size, which would be a detriment to the environment. “This issue should be dealt with through recommendations and guidelines that take into account sector specificities," he said. “Legibility is a complex question dependent on a number of factors, such as layout, color and contrast and type of font."
EHPM, which represents more than 2,500 health product manufacturers across the European Union (EU), instead supports an amendment proposed by the European Parliament for packages or containers with a printable surface area of less than 80cm2 to have a minimum font size of 0.9mm.
“Any general provision requiring a mandatory font size where the height is more than 1mm would be impossible to comply with for the majority of food supplement products," Van Doorn said.
The European Parliament, Council and the European Commission are expected to meet for a further discussion in June.
EHPM also recently increased its influence in the European regulatory world when it was appointed to the European Commission’s Advisory Group on the Food Chain and Animal and Plant Health on April 14, 2011. The European Commission consults with the Advisory Group for its work on food and feed safety; food and feed labeling and presentation; human nutrition in relation to food legislation; animal health and welfare; plant health, consumer protection and any measures that the European Commission must take or propose in these fields.
