Label change for gourmet salt
A gourmet salt manufacturer has been told to drop claims on its label that its products contained minerals.
Consumer NZ complained to the Ministry of Primary Industries about the labels on Mrs Rogers-brand Himalayan rock salt, which said the product contained iodine, iron and calcium. But only trace amounts are present.
Consumer NZ said, under the Food Standards Code, a company could only promote a food as a source of a specific mineral if it contained at least 10 per cent of an adult’s daily recommended intake.
It conducted an investigation this year that found gourmet salt manufacturers were promoting their products as nutritionally superior to cheaper table salts. But those claims were hard to back up - consumers who had enough salt to receive any of the nutritional benefits would have to consume more salt than was healthy.
These products can cost up to 50 times the price of standard table salt.
An MPI spokeswoman said it had given Mrs Rogers until December to change its labels. ‘‘We have requested a labelling change due to a breach of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.’’ Consumer NZ said that was a ‘‘generous window’’ because it first raised the issue in February. It said another two companies were making similar claims.
Jono Steven, product manager for Rogers Distribution, said the company believed in providing customers with informative labels. ‘‘We agree that all natural salts are mostly a source of sodium and trace elements are just that – minute amounts. We declare the three minerals of note in Himalayan salt, not to make a claim but to inform consumers of their actual levels as we are aware of the misconception of Himalayan salt being a mineral-rich product.
‘‘With all of our salt products we make the suggestion on pack to use sparingly to avoid excessive intake,’’ he said.
‘‘The issue with our labelling was not that we had overstated the nutritional value of the salt, the [percentage of recommended daily intake] was correct on our nutrition information panel. The issue is that the level of the minerals does not meet the 10 per cent requirement to be mentioned on pack at all.’’
He said the packaging had been redesigned so it only mentioned natural trace elements: ‘‘With an included disclaimer that the salt is not to be considered a source of dietary minerals. This has been approved by MPI as compliant and is currently being produced. These new bags will roll out through the stores in the coming months.’’