2020/9017/IS
EC/EFTA
IS Island
  • C00A - LANDWIRTSCHAFT, FISCHEREI, LEBENSMITTEL
  • C50A - Lebensmittel
  • C60A - Etikettierung
2020-11-16
2020-08-20

Foods as defined by article 2 of Regulation (EC) no 178/2002 (Food Law) and specifically describeed in Annex 2 to the Regulation on voluntary labelling of foods with the Keyhole.

C50A (Foddstuffs) and C60A (Labelling)

Reglulation on voluntary labelling of foods with the Keyhole.

The Keyhole is a voluntary label used on food which enables consumers to make a better choice based on the content of fat, sugar, salt and fiber in the categories of foods listed in Appendix 2 to the Regulation. The Keyhole symbol is used jointly in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. The scientific basis for the criteria for the use of the symbol is the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations. The criteria and the food groups reflect the Nordic nutritional recommendations and the dietary habits in the countries.

The general conditions required for labelling or presenting food with the Keyhole are laid out in the regulation.

The Keyhole symbol may be used in the marketing of pre-packaged and non-prepackaged foods covered by the food categories in Appendix 2 of the regulation if they comply with all the nutritional criteria for the relevant food category. Food business operators using the Keyhole must ensure that they comply with the conditions of the regulation. The compitent authorities carry out controls to ensure compliance with the provisions of the regulation.

The current Regulation on the use of the Keyhole label was first notified in 2012 but the current regulation was notified in 2014. The proposed amendments mainly concern the conditions in Appendix 2 for the food groups 26-31, Ready meals, and food group 25, Vegetable products. Most of the changes are made with the aim of expanding the food groups to include more products, especially products with more whole grains and a larger proportion of vegetables. It is suggested that the conditions for saturated fat is stated in grams per 100 grams instead of the percentage of the total fat content.