Report on food labelling.

  • Great Britain. Food Standards Committee.
Date:
1964
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report on food labelling. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    20/80 (page 18)
    Minimum point size Minimum point size of common or usual of list of name or appropriate ingredients Surface area designation (See footnote) Up to 30 sq. ins. 14 point boi over 30-40 18 point over 40-60 24 point 8 point over 60-90 30 point 10 point over 90-130 36 point 12 point over 130-180 42 point 14 point over 180 48 point 18 point COMMON OR USUAL NAME OR APPROPRIATE DESIGNATION 49. Originally it was our intention to recommend that the declaration of the common or usual name or appropriate designation of a food should be in a plain, bold and uniform type such as Gill Sans. After discussion with repre- sentatives of the food trade and an examination of a large number of labels currently in use we have concluded that to insist upon the same type for all labels in respect of this declaration would lead to excessive uniformity of appearance of labels on products on display. Much of the attractiveness of labels would be lost and possibly it would create certain difficulties for the consumer in identify- ing the products of a particular manufacturer. Most manufacturers and traders attach considerable importance to the legibility and conspicuousness of this declaration to facilitate the marketing of their products. Distinctive forms of lettering peculiar to a manufacturer’s range of products are often used and in general they can be said to satisfy the requirement of being clearly legible and appearing conspicuously in a prominent position on the label. Nevertheless we feel that some improvement can be achieved regarding this declaration if the whole of the common or usual name or appropriate designation appears as a continuous statement in a uniform type and colour. We therefore recommend that this declaration should be made in letters of a minimum size in accordance with the formula in paragraph 48 and in uniform type and colour. 50. We recommend that where two or more ingredients are mentioned in the common or usual name or appropriate designation the ingredients should be mentioned in descending order of magnitude unless a specific statutory provision permits a different order. We dislike the practice of printing what the manu- facturer regards as the less attractive part of the common or usual name or appropriate designation in much smaller letters. In our view the test for a satis- factory declaration must be that the reasonably attentive and enquiring but busy customer can not only see the designation, but read it. At the same time we recognise that some foods carry a rather extended common or usual name con- sisting of a major and one or more minor components. We see no objection to printing the major part larger than the minor part, but the secondary part should be of the minimum size recommended in paragraph 48 and the major portion should never be more than one third larger than the minor. Footnote—see paragraph 48 The Scale headed ‘“‘Minimum point size of list of ingredients” is printed in the recommended point size of Roman Serif lettering.