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Clarifying rules TGT and THT

During the National Food Summit in 2017, a decision was made to give food waste more attention and with it more attention to the expiration date on packaging. On this topic, the Commodities Act Decree BBL (Preparation and Handling of Foodstuffs) is not fully in line with VO. (EU) 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers and is therefore clarified.

Current situation

Shelf life can be indicated in two ways: the TGT ("use by") and THT ("best before"). Currently, products with a storage requirement of up to 6°C or a shelf life of less than 5 days receive a TGT statement. All other products are labeled with a THT.

Note: It is not allowed by law to include the abbreviations THT and TGT on your label. Therefore, always use the written out entries.

What changes?

The Commodities Act Decree BBL is amended to correspond to VO. (EU) 1169/2011. Indeed, this regulation provides that a product is considered unsafe after the TGT. The amendments to the Commodities Act Decree BBL are as follows:

  • The TGT statement applies to products where outgrowth of pathogenic bacteria is possible within the stated shelf life. The warning "To be consumed by ..." is dropped.
  • The THT statement applies to products that can be kept until the date without risk of pathogenic bacteria growth, but where only the quality (smell, taste, etc.) deteriorates after the date.

Thus, the amendment to the Commodities Act Decree BBL has the effect that the TGT date will also become mandatory on certain products that have a shelf life of more than five days and/or on products stored at temperatures higher than 6 degrees.

Examples

In practice, pre-packaged salads, pre-cut vegetables, fruit eaten raw, processed meats and also filet americain will soon have to carry a TGT instead of a THT.

Update December 2022

As of when?

The official amendment was published in the Official Gazette in March 2022 that talked about an effective date of July 1, 2022. In November 2022, another amendment was published in the Official Gazette stating that the new rules will be effective from Jan. 1, 2023.

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