The Finnish food
industry is gradually adopting a new pan-European system of nutritional content
labelling for products. GDA (Guideline Daily Amount) tells the consumer how
much energy and key nutrients are contained in one portion or in some other
measurement typically used in foodstuffs. The labelling also provides
information on the proportion of energy and nutrients in the guideline daily
amount. The labelling, the adoption of which is voluntary, will support
the ability of consumers to make balanced choices concerning diet.
The GDA-based labelling system incorporates a symbol on the front of the
packet, which indicates the amount of energy content typically contained in the
portion or other food measure, and its percentage share of the adult guideline
daily amount, which is 2,000 Kcal. This corresponds to the energy requirement
of a woman of normal weight, performing light work and doing a moderate amount
of physical exercise, and is based on a varied diet. The corresponding energy
amount for men is 2,500 Kcal.
Other sides of the pack provide similar information about sugar, fat,
saturated fats and sodium in symbols or in tabular form. There may also be
information on protein, carbohydrates and fibre.
The size of a portion is typically defined as an amount that can be used or
easily consumed at one time, for example, an ice cream cone, one biscuit, one
sausage or a carton of yoghurt. The sizes of portions have been agreed in
advance with the food industry, so that comparison between different products
is made easier.
Like many other Finnish companies, VAASAN Oy introduced the first phase of
GDA labelling to the product descriptions on its website at the beginning of
December. Product descriptions are marked with symbols denoting the energy,
sugars, fat, saturated fat, sodium, fibre, protein and carbohydrate contained
in each product. The labelling can be viewed by clicking on the ’Products’ link
at the www.vaasan.com website. For the time being, no changes will be made to
the packaging.
Example: FINN CRISP Multigrain Crispbread
Portion sizes for bakery products, the nutrient content of which can be
compared to the guideline daily amount:
|
Bread
|
|
Rye bites
and flat bread that can be folded
|
1 slice*
|
|
Sliced
bread
|
1 average
slice*
|
|
Rolls
|
½ roll*
|
|
Unsliced
loaf and torn bread
|
30 g**
|
|
Flat
breads
|
30 g**
|
|
Baguettes
and similar
|
30 g**
|
|
Coffee
breads
|
|
Bun loaf,
unsliced
|
30 g**
|
|
Bun loaf,
sliced
|
1 average
slice*
|
|
Filled bun loaf, Boston cake, etc.
|
50 g**
|
|
Pies
divided into portions
|
50 g**
|
|
Moist pies (comparable to bakery products) divided
into portions
|
70 g**
|
|
Swiss
rolls
|
30 g**
|
|
Cakes
|
|
Spice
cakes
|
30 g**
and ***
|
|
Filled
cakes
|
Weight of
an average piece calculated for one person according to the number of
peoplegiven for the size of the cake
|
|
Intended
for eating at one time
|
Pies,
pasties, coffee buns, cinnamon buns, doughnuts, jam doughnuts, etc 1 pc
|
*=always also gives additional information on
the average weight of the slice/half/piece, etc in grammes
**=depending on the space available on the packet, gives additional information
on how many portions corresponding
to the average portion size can be had from one product
***=if, because of the nature/size of the product, the actual portion size
differs considerably from 30 g, the actual portion size is used
From a 300g loaf, you get about 10 slices
For further information, please contact
Leena Thorström
Marketing Manager
Tel. +358 204 46 2051
Source: Finnish Food and Drink Industries' Federation
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