Hands on
High customer satisfaction
Involved
Custom advice
Professional
Wide range of courses

Sunflower oil no longer in recipe, still on label

The food industry warned about it: sunflower oil is running out. The scarcity means that there is almost no bottle left in the supermarket. And also that more and more manufacturers are running out of sunflower oil stocks. The label adjustment is a huge administrative job. What additional work awaits companies and manufacturers?

Sunflower oil is used in many different foods, such as margarine, meat, meat substitutes, ready meals, spreads and confectionery products. This forces many food manufacturers to find an alternative in their recipes, which creates additional workload. Not only must the raw material be replaced in the recipe, the ingredients on the label must also be changed. After all, Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 states that vegetable oil in the list of ingredients must be compulsorily supplemented with its origin.

Coulance NVWA

Once the recipe is changed, it can take a long time for such a change to be reflected on the label. Customers demand reliable information in the finished product specifications. The systems in which those specifications are requested must therefore all be made up-to-date with the correct raw material data. But the type of label also means that a lot of time passes over a label change. A paper label or sticker is more quickly modified at the printer than an in-mold label (think of the tub of margarine).

Because it may take several months, the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) has indicated in this notice to be temporarily lenient towards labels that are incorrect due to the shortage of sunflower oil in the world. However, companies and supermarkets should take care to correctly inform consumers about the alternatives used for sunflower oil.

And meanwhile, other European countries and the United Kingdom have also published statements on flexible enforcement on labels where sunflower oil has been substituted for another raw material.

More pressure on the administrative front

Despite the NVWA's leniency, the scarcity means extra work for food manufacturers anyway, in terms of product development as well as administrative tasks. Not only must recipes and nutritional values be updated, strict attention must also be paid to allergens. And all other legal requirements must be taken into account at all times. "Other violations of the legal requirements for the label do not fall under this temporary exception." said the NVWA.

Update: April 8, 2022

Guidelines VWS

Guidelines were published this week from the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) to accommodate the food industry's workload. With this, the government is taking into account the labeling information in the case of the shortage of sunflower oil, without having to prepare a completely new label. Various situations have been considered, such as replacing sunflower oil with another vegetable oil, existing claims and images on the packaging, allergens, replacing sunflower oil with palm oil despite the statement "palm-free," and sunflower oil as a primary ingredient in products. These guidelines apply from today until January 2023.

In varying proportions

From January 1, 2023, it will be permitted to use the statement "in varying proportions" in the enumeration of oils in the declaration. This when listing all oils that can be used as a substitute for sunflower oil in the product. For example, the Ministry of Health gives the following example: vegetable oils 28% (sunflower, linseed, palm, rapeseed, in varying proportions). This is in contrast to the current rule described in Annex VII, Part A, point 8 of Regulation (EU) 1169/2011. Other labeling exceptions will no longer be allowed from January 1, 2023.

All guidelines and prerequisites can be read in the NVWA's published notice.

Need help managing specifications and labeling?

We are happy to help. You can contact us at +31 30 65 66 010 or email info@precongroup.com.

Back to overview

Stay informed

Subscribe to our newsletter, our monthly look at food and non-food quality management.