Introduction

The Centre for Food Safety of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has recently produced the Nutrition Labelling Teaching Kit 2009, which has been developed with a view to facilitating trainers in the promotion and education of nutrition information on food labels.

The Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) (Amendment: Requirements for Nutrition Labelling and Nutrition Claim) Regulation 2008 (the "Amendment Regulation"), enacted by the Legislative Council on 28 May 2008 , will come into force on 1 July 2010 . The Amendment Regulation introduces a Nutrition Labelling Scheme which covers two types of nutrition information on food labels, namely nutrition labelling and nutrition claims. The Scheme requires that nutrition labels setting out the content levels of energy and seven nutrients specified for labelling (namely protein, carbohydrates, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and sugars) will become mandatory for all applicable prepackaged food products. In addition, nutrition claims made on food labels or in advertisements of prepackaged food products will also be regulated. Manufacturers can only use nutrition claims if their products meet specified conditions.

Education must come hand in hand with the new regulation to realise the full benefits of the Nutrition Labelling Scheme. We sincerely invite potential trainers including healthcare professionals, teachers, health promotion personnel, community volunteers and consumer groups etc. to join us as educational partners, and work with us as a team to promote and educate the general public on nutrition labelling. This Teaching Kit has been developed in consultation with the Task Force on Nutrition Labelling Education, comprising Members from various professional bodies, government departments, consumers group, education and food trade sectors. The Teaching Kit aims to provide a range of educational resources that would facilitate trainers in helping their clients understand and make use of the nutrition information found on food labels. The Teaching Kit includes presentation slides, a variety of reference materials as well as a collection of readily available resource materials which may be useful during the teaching process.

Contents of the Nutrition Labelling Teaching Kit 2009

  1. Guidelines for Use (PDF, 0.12MB)
  2. Presentation Slides
    1. For All Trainers - Core Unit (presentations)
    2. For All Trainers - Supplementary Unit (presentations)
    3. For All Trainers - Activity Unit (worksheets)
    4. Additional Presentations for Healthcare Professionals
  3. Reference Materials
    1. Factsheet on Development of the Scheme on Nutrition Labelling and Nutrition Claim (PDF, 0.04MB)
    2. Technical Guidance Notes on Nutrition Labelling and Nutrition Claims
      (PDF, 1.44MB)
    3. Frequently Asked Questions for General Public
  4. Publicity/Resource Materials
    1. Thematic video: "Be Smart Be Nutrient Conscious" (Trailer in Cantonese only, full video is available in the DVD included in the Teaching Kit)
      (WMV, 4.80MB)
    2. Booklets: Series on "A closer look at Nutrition Labelling"
    3. Posters
    4. Pocket card: "Conditions for Nutrient Content Claims" (GIF, 0.65MB)
    5. Exhibition boards (in Chinese) (PDF, 9.93MB)
  5. Publicity/Resource Materials: Order Form (PDF, 0.2MB)
  6. Nutrition Labelling Teaching Kit 2009: Comment Form (PDF, 0.03MB)