The packaging and labelling of food products in the european regulatory requirements

• Author: L. Manea/Gh. Epuran
• Position: Transilvania University of Brasov/Transilvania University of Brasov
• Pages: 175-184

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov

Series VII: Social Sciences • Law • Vol. 9 (58) No. 1 - 2016

THE PACKAGING AND LABELLING OF

FOOD PRODUCTS IN THE EUROPEAN

REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS

L. MANEA1 Gh. EPURAN2

Abstract: Starting from the principle of safety and consumer protection,

especially of the European consumer on the single market where products

from all Member States are presented, ensuring an equal competition

regarding the market access for all products and imposing binding rules to

all producers and distributors of food products as regards the correct and

complete information about the content of the products, the manufacturing,

shelf life, and place of origin, the European legislation on food labelling has

evolved both in terms of complex and stringent regulations, as well as in

terms of the type of legislation, the enactment through directives to the

adoption of regulations for direct application, as the latest legislation

regulatory document, the EU Regulation no.1169 / 2011.

Key words: label, mandatory, food products, ingredients, information.

1. Introduction

An essential concept of the modern theory of marketing, also known by the name of the

"4P", the marketing mix represents "all the controllable marketing tactical tools that the

company combines in order to produce the desired reaction on the target market" (Kotler

& Armstrong, 2008: 134-135). This set of instruments is also a set of variables

controllable by the trader and combined in marketing strategies to influence consumer

behaviour in order to ensure the maximum efficiency of the product and of the

manufacturer on the outlet markets, regardless of the product's nature.

A proof that the marketing mix must be combined within the marketing strategies is that

the same type of items, namely packaging and labelling of the product are found in the

product policy, since the final presentation of the product involves rules on packaging and

labelling of the products, particularly food products with a determined shelf life, and

within the price policy, the final price of the product also includes the price of the

package, respectively the recycling price of the packaging, but also in the promotion

policy, while the packaging and the information on the label represent the main vectors of

communication between the manufacturer / distributor and the consumer.

Each of the marketing mix elements can become a source of competitive advantage at a

certain time for the product and / or the company, so in order to ensure a fair competition

on the market and to ensure the consumer's protection, the legislators intervene by

1 Transilvania University of Braşov, manea@unitbv.ro

2 Transilvania University of Braşov, epuran.gheorghe@unitbv.ro