In order to protect the consumer’s rights, blended and/or flavoured tea must label the percentage (%) of content and compositions honestly starting from 13/12/2016 according to the new regulations announcement from EU. Among those new regulations the following information are required on the label as well as on brochure and/or web site for tea industry:
- Clearer and harmonised presentation of allergens (e.g. soy, nuts, gluten, lactose) for prepacked foods (emphasis by font, style or background colour) in the list of ingredients
Luckily we do only pure and nature quality of tea that consumers are free from worrying of having any presence of allergens. For those natural scented tea, I have already informed the tea research institute to provide more clearer information of natural ingredients that they use in the imprint techniques in the future.
- Same labelling requirements for online, distance-selling or buying in a shop
Please do pay attention to this new regulation because it does not only affect the hard printing label and/or brochure, but it also means we should put such information on the web site or web shop.
- Strengthened rules to prevent misleading practices
Any claim made on a food’s labelling, presentation or advertising in the European Union is required to be clear, accurate and based on scientific evidence. Hopefully this new regulation can reduce numbers of question about the ‘diet tea’. Each type of tea has respective health benefits, similar but with more or less differences; but tea is not and should not consider as ‘medicine’ or ‘solution’ to solve problems which people could learn how to manage a good balance from their daily life style. Indeed, as it’s written in the announcement that this new labelling requlation not only protects consumers, but also promotes innovation and ensures fair competition; certainly we hope it would open more doors for pure and nature and good quality tea.
With this new regulations, consumers would have more clear information to distinguish the difference between nature & pure quality tea vs. flavoured and/or blended tea. Not just for European but also for international tea traders, regardless big or small, whole sale or retail, to realize Honesty and Accuracy are no longer moral concerns but serious Legal Obligations.
We do not have too much concern by this new regulation, because we are devoted to only Pure and Nature Quality since the day one in 1995. Now based on this new regulations, consumers will find more precise content information on our label. We are glad that the new regulations will able to enhance the basic principles of Honesty and Business Ethics.
Source: food information to consumers – legislation ( http://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/labelling_nutrition/labelling_legislation/index_en.htm )
