The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has published a guidance note on the use of the term butter in the labelling and advertising of fat spreads to aid in the compliance by the food industry with relevant food law.

The ultimate aim is to ensure that consumers are not misled and that when ‘butter’ is used, it complies with the specific legislation governing its use.

The guidance document is available on www.fsai.ie and was developed in light of a complaint received by the FSAI which indicated that some fat spreads were using the term ‘butter’ in marketing materials when it was not appropriate.

According to Dr Pat O’Mahony, Chief Specialist in Food Technology, FSAI butter is defined as a churned-cream dairy product consisting primarily of milk fat, water, non-fat milk material and if necessary, salt.

Application of the following marketing conditions should ensure that fat spreads are correctly labelled and that the word ‘butter’ and derived terms are used appropriately:

Specific EU legislation is in place that establishes a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products. A section of this legislation is dedicated to ‘milk and milk products’, whereby products like butter and other types of fat spread are clearly defined.

Dr O’Mahony says the legal onus is on food businesses to ensure that they are compliant with all relevant legislation so that consumers can have trust in the product they are purchasing and make informed choices using reliable information.

“It is natural that marketing specialists will use every means at their disposal to gain a competitive edge over their rivals, but this must not be achieved at the expense of consumers’ trust.

“We hope that our guidance document will assist the industry to comply with the complex legislation in this area, so that consumers can be confident that the foods they purchase and consume are accurately and truthfully described on the label or in associated advertising,” Dr O’Mahony said.