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11.04.2018 - Foods
What are the guidelines of the German Food Code?
Guidelines are developed by the German Food Book Commission. The guidelines list commonly understood names for products as well as descriptions of their production, properties, and other characteristics. For example, the guidelines outline how much wheat flour must be in mixed wheat bread or how much poultry meat must be in a fine poultry salad.
The descriptions in the guidelines have the character of so-called objectified expert opinions. Although the guidelines are not legal regulations, they are used by manufacturers, trade, and food monitoring as a basis for evaluating food. Manufacturers can deviate from the features described in the guidelines, but this must be clearly indicated on the product label.
Currently, guidelines exist for 21 product groups:
- Honey
- Tea, tea-like products, their extracts and preparations
- Mushrooms and mushroom products
- Vegetable juice and vegetable nectar
- Vegetable products
- Wine-like and sparkling wine-like beverages
- Fruit juices
- Fish, crustaceans, mollusks and products thereof
- Meat and meat products
- Deli salads
- Potato products
- Fruit products
- Pasta
- Bread and pastries
- Ice cream
- Puddings, other sweet desserts and related products
- Edible fats and oils
- Fine pastries
- Spices and other seasoning ingredients
- Oilseeds and masses and confectionery made from them
- Soft drinks
The current guidelines can be accessed at https://www.deutsche-lebensmittelbuch-kommission.de/.
Our customer advisors are very happy to assist you with any questions on this topic.