A directive from Brussels dated June 16 will for the first time define the minimum font size on food product labels. After the EU Parliament adopts the new directive, the Consumer Protection Act in Croatia will also need to be amended, writes novilist.hr
According to an online survey conducted by the Consumer Association, which had 1,380 respondents, as many as 21 percent of Croatian consumers use a magnifying glass while shopping to read product labels, and 32 percent believe that the labels are illegible and unclear. The survey showed that only six percent of consumers, mostly younger individuals, are completely satisfied with the labels. It seems that the days of small print on labels are numbered. In about ten days, specifically on June 16, the European Parliament will adopt a new European directive on food product labels in Brussels, which will for the first time define the minimum font size on food product labels. In the future, if the EU Parliament makes such a decision, labels will be written in a computer font size of at least 11, unlike the current, legally undefined, often eight to nine points. European consumer protection laws, including Croatian ones, do not define font size but only state that labels must be ‘readable and visible’. (www.novilist.hr)
