Labelling

1. Without prejudice to the specific measures referred to in Article 5, materials and articles, which are not yet in contact with food when placed on the market, shall be accompanied by:

the words ‘for food contact’, or a specific indication as to their use, such as coffee machine, wine bottle, soup spoon, or the symbol reproduced in Annex II;

if necessary, special instructions to be observed for safe and appropriate use;

the name or trade name and, in either case, the address or registered office of the manufacturer, processor, or seller responsible for placing on the market established within the Community;

adequate labelling or identification to ensure traceability of the material or article, as described in Article 17;

in the case of active materials and articles, information on the permitted use or uses and other relevant information such as the name and quantity of the substances released by the active component so as to enable food business operators who use these materials and articles to comply with any other relevant Community provisions or, in their absence, national provisions applicable to food, including the provisions on food labelling.

2. The information referred to in paragraph 1(a) shall not, however, be obligatory for any articles which, because of their characteristics, are clearly intended to come into contact with food.

3. The information required by paragraph 1 shall be conspicuous, clearly legible and indelible.

4. Retail trade in materials and articles shall be prohibited if the information required under paragraph (1)(a), (b) and (e) is not given in a language easily understood by purchasers.

5. Within its own territory, the Member State in which the material or article is marketed may, in accordance with the rules of the Treaty, stipulate that those labelling particulars shall be given in one or more languages which it shall determine from among the official languages of the Community.

6. Paragraphs 4 and 5 shall not preclude the labelling particulars from being indicated in several languages.

7. At the retail stage, the information required under paragraph 1 shall be displayed on:

the materials and articles or on their packaging;

labels affixed to the materials and articles or to their packaging;

a notice in the immediate vicinity of the materials and articles and clearly visible to purchasers; for the information referred to in paragraph 1(c), however, this option shall be open only if, for technical reasons, that information or a label bearing it cannot be affixed to the materials and articles at either the manufacturing or the marketing stage.

8. At the marketing stages other than the retail stage, the information required by paragraph 1 shall be displayed on:

the accompanying documents;

the labels or packaging;

the materials and articles themselves.

9. The information provided for in paragraph 1(a), (b) and (e) shall be confined to materials and articles which comply with:

the criteria laid down in Article 3 and, where they apply, Article 4;

the specific measures referred to in Article 5 or, in their absence, with any national provisions applicable to these materials and articles.

REGULATION (EC) No 1935/2004 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 27 October 2004 on materials and articles intended to come into contact with food and repealing Directives 80/590/EEC and 89/109/EEC