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25.02.2020 - Foods

All about primary ingredients (FIC)

From April 1, 2020, the indication of the country of origin or place of provenance of the primary ingredient of a food is mandatory according to Article 26(3) of the Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 (Food Information Regulation – FIR).

Article 26(3) FIR stipulates that for a food in which the country of origin or place of provenance is indicated and which does not coincide with the country of origin or place of provenance of its so-called "primary ingredient," the indication of the country of origin or place of provenance for the primary ingredient must also be provided.

The legal definition of the primary ingredient according to Article 2(2)(q) FIR relies on two types of criteria to determine the primary ingredient of a food:

a) a quantitative criterion, according to which the ingredient constitutes over 50% of that food and

b) a qualitative criterion, whereby consumers usually associate the ingredient with the name of the food and for which a quantitative declaration is required in most cases (QUID).

Composite ingredients can also be primary ingredients if they meet the requirements of the "primary ingredient" definition.

Below are some examples of primary ingredients:

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Sources: The Food Letter – Nutrition Today, Issue Jan./Feb. 2020 (31st year)