What the action involves and where implemented
The Swedish government set nutritional criteria for the use of the Keyhole logo established in Sweden in 1989 and launched as a common Nordic label on 17 June 2009 in Sweden, Denmark and Norway. The Lithuanian Ministry of Health signed the agreement to join the Keyhole programme in 2013 and approved criteria for products to bear the logo in 2014. In Iceland, the programme entered into force in November 2013. The aim of the Keyhole logo is to help consumers choose products that contain less fat, salt and sugar. Use of the logo is voluntary, but products must conform to the nutrition criteria, which are identical among participant countries of the programme. New, stricter requirements came into force on 1 March 2015, with a transition period until 1 September 2016 for products adhering to the old requirements. Under the new requirements, Keyhole products will need to contain less salt, sugar and saturated fat, and more whole grains. For the first time, criteria were introduced for maximum salt content in meat and fish products.
EU Regulation 1169/2011 on the Provision of Food Information to Consumers, passed in 2011, permits EU Member States to develop voluntary guidelines for front of pack nutrition information, to be used in addition to the mandatory nutrition information on the back of pack. Information on energy value, fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt content is permitted. Different styles of presentation (eg % Guideline Daily Allowances or traffic lights) are permitted. This Regulation is also applicable in Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein as members of the European Economic Area and Switzerland based on its bilateral agreements with the EU.