The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has criticised food businesses for providing "misleading and potentially fraudulent" product labelling and has said there is no excuse for ambiguous labels.
Investigations by the authority have found labelling breaches across a range of products, FSAI chief executive Dr John O'Brien said yesterday.
Dr O'Brien highlighted a breakfast cereal labelled as "gluten free" that contained high levels of gluten. Another investigation found that a fish product was being sold as cod when in fact it was pollock. And crisps that were being sold as "Cumbrian crisps" were made in Ireland.
A survey of the honey market found that 25 per cent of the honey labelled as Irish was of foreign origin. A study of 55 noodle products found that about one-quarter had irradiated ingredients, but this was not declared on the label.
The FSAI also uncovered problems with pizza labelling. Pizzas labelled as having "cheese toppings" were found to contain mostly cheese substitutes rather than cheese. Pizzas that were made in Ireland carried pictures or maps of Italy, misleading the customer as to the products' origins.
"Whilst [the breaches] may not be life-threatening, they are misleading and potentially fraudulent," Dr O'Brien said.
He also said it was "alarming" that food businesses were ignorant about the "best-before" and "use-by" labelling of products to indicate their shelf-life. The FSAI's advice line had received numerous queries about these labels and Dr O'Brien said there was "significant confusion" over the difference between the two types of dates and which should apply to particular products.
The FSAI began a campaign yesterday to highlight the importance of correct food labelling.
A "use-by" date should be displayed on highly perishable products to indicate that if they are consumed after this date they could cause illness.
"Best-before" dates refer to a period when a product remains at its best condition. Products should not pose a food-safety risk if eaten after the best-before date but food quality may be affected.
To coincide with the launch of the campaign, the FSAI also published a report on labelling to help food businesses determine the correct labelling.
The 140-page report, entitled The Labelling of Food in Ireland 2007, brings together all Irish and European law governing food labelling.
Dr O'Brien said it was "unacceptable" that consumers may be purchasing foodstuffs with labelling that was incorrect, unclear or simply portraying the product as something it was not.
"With this report, food businesses have no excuse for mischievous, misleading or illegal labelling and cannot claim ignorance of the legal requirements," he added.
Dr O'Brien encouraged consumers with concerns about apparently incorrect food labelling to contact either the Health Service Executive or the FSAI.
