According to the The World Health Organisation (WHO), there is a close link between social and economic development and infant and young child nutrition. In the 1980s, WHO adopted a Code relating to infant and young child feeding to promote the health and nutrition of infants and young children. As a member state to WHO, South Africa issued, on 6 December 2012, the "Regulations Relating to Foodstuffs for Infants and Young Children" to codify its previous voluntary application of the WHO code.
The Regulations
The Regulations control information which is disseminated to the
public related to the feeding of infants and young children and
limit the advertisements, and promotional and educational material
that manufacturers and retailers of these products can provide to
the public. The Regulations place strict controls on the
labelling of baby food products and specify in detail the
information which may and may not be included on baby food
labels.
The Regulations impact directly on trade mark owners as they
prohibit the use of certain words, graphics and claims on the
product labelling, regardless of whether the prohibited matter
serves a trade mark function or not. As an example, the
Regulations prohibit the use of any logos which incorporate
pictures of infants or young children. Consequently, if a
baby food manufacturer is the owner of a registered trade mark
which consists of a picture of a baby, it may no longer use that
registered trade mark on its baby food products.
We have highlighted below some of the provisions which will have a
wide reaching impact on baby food manufacturers and
distributors:
- The Regulations provide that no foodstuff other than formula may be imported into or sold in South Africa if it is intended for consumption by infants younger than 6 months of age.
- The labelling may not contain any pictures, photographs or drawings of infants, young children or even forms that resemble them, such as humanized animals.
- Specific requirements are set for the labelling of infant
formula. The following information must, for example, appear
on the front panel of the container:
- An age range should be specified.
- The statements "does not contain breast milk" and "breast milk is the best food for babies" must appear on the front panel.
- The statement "This product shall only be used on the advice of a health professional" should appear on the front panel.
- The statement "This product is not always sterile and may contain harmful micro-organisms. It must be prepared and used appropriately" must also appear on the front label.
- The following requirements are set for foodstuffs and beverages
(other than formula) which are intended for consumption by babies
or young children:
- The suitable age range should be indicated on the front panel.
- The front main panel of the label must contain the following statement "this food is not intended for infants under 6 months of age and early introduction is not recommended".
- The following statement should also appear on the main panel "From 6 months of age, together with breast milk, infants should be fed a variety of foods. Ask a health worker or health professional for advice".
- The following expressions (or any expression which conveys a similar meaning) may not be used: "Materialised", "humanised", "breast milk substitute" or any derivative form of these terms.
- No expressions or terms that could be understood by consumers to identify a product as suitable to feed infants younger than 6 months, such as "First Growth", "First Food", "From the Start", "Best Start in Life" may be used.
- No statement or claim may be made on the label which conveys the message that the specific product represents itself as an expert with regard to infant and young child feeding or nutrition.
The implications for trademarks and trademark owners
Trade mark owners are required to review their product packaging
to ensure that their products comply with the regulations.
The Regulations expressly remove existing trade mark rights with
the intention of promoting healthy nutrition habits with respect to
babies and young children. While certain of the provisions of
the Regulations will clearly achieve this goal, it is questionable
that the use of, for example, a picture of a baby on a baby food
product can be detrimental to the baby.
Certain of the provisions seem, in other words, extreme and
disproportionate to the possible harm which the Regulations are
intended to ward against. This alone seems reason to question
the enforceability of such provisions. In addition, though,
it is questionable that it is constitutional for the legislature to
remove existing property rights in the manner which it does under
the Regulations. Many valuable trade marks, which are
valuable assets of manufacturers, may be stripped of their value as
a result of the Regulations. It remains to be seen whether
any manufacturer will decide to test the enforceability of these
provisions to retain brand value.
Non-compliance with these regulations amounts to a criminal
offence and the penalty ranges from the imposition of a fine or a
period of imprisonment, depending on whether the guilty party is a
first time offender. Additionally, any offending product will be
forfeited to the State and destroyed or dealt with as the
Director-General may direct.
Effective date of the various regulations
The regulations specifically relating to the labelling of baby
food products are effective from 6 December 2013.
Manufacturers, distributors and retailers must, within 18 months
of the date of publication of these regulations, i.e. by 6
June 2014, remove all non-compliant products from the
market.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
