The Commodities Act Decree on Preparation and Handling of Foodstuffs (WBBL) has been amended with the updated warning label for packaged poultry meat and the date for minimum shelf life becoming mandatory from 1 January 2023.
Since 2001, it has been compulsory to warn consumers about the risks of harmful bacteria (Salmonella and Campylobacter) through the packaging of poultry meat. Now a new warning label to better inform consumers about good hygiene measures when storing, preparing and consuming poultry meat has come out. The new warning label applies to fresh poultry meat (chicken, goose, turkey or guinea fowl meat) and not frozen poultry meat.
For non-pre-packaged poultry meat from the counter, the warning label may also be applied to an information sheet, voucher or leaflet given to the buyer (Article 4a, fourth paragraph). Here, an information sheet, voucher or leaflet must be actively provided by the seller and not just made available to the consumer. It is important that the information on the warning label is available to the consumer at home and when preparing the poultry meat.
Butchers and poulterers should factor in around €800 extra costs on an annual basis. The additional cost for printed bags is about €0.025 per bag. An average-sized butcher and poulterer uses about 16 boxes of 1,000 bags per year. The additional costs in terms of material are therefore about €400. On top of this come costs (time/money) of additional operations such as ordering, stock management, storage, instruction of employees (including Saturday workers and temporary workers) and monitoring by employees. These costs amount to around €400. For an average butcher and poulterer, the additional costs are therefore about €800 on an annual basis. But of course a roll sticker can also be used with the new label. There are about 1,713 butchers and 229 poulterers in the Netherlands.
The WBBL is amended to align with European regulations regarding the labelling of certain foods with a date of minimum durability (or: "best before date") or an expiry date (or: "use by date"). Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 contains rules on this. Additional national rules are therefore considered unnecessary and may lead to confusing situations for consumers.
