The name of the food must give sufficient detail about the product to enable consumers to tell the difference between that product and other similar products. For example, "Tomato Soup" or "Chicken Soup" rather than just "Soup". Some foods have customary names, e.g. "Spaghetti Bolognese", but others may need a detailed description to enable consumers to know what they are buying. For example, the legal name for "Ocean Pie" might be "Pollack and Cod Fillet in a Butter Sauce, Topped with Potato and Cheese" . The name of the product must also include reference to particular forms of processing, where appropriate, e.g. "Smoked Mackerel". A product named "Strawberry Ice Cream" must contain strawberries in some form; if strawberries are not present and only a strawberry flavour is used, then the product should be called "Strawberry Flavour Ice Cream".
If the food contains a sweetener such as aspartame, acesulfame potassium or saccharin, the statement "with sweetener" must appear next to the name of the food. If the food contains added sugar (e.g. sucrose, fructose or glucose) as well as a sweetener, then the statement next to the name of the food should read "with sugar and sweetener".
If the food is intended for infants or young children (i.e. up to 3 years of age), the name of the product that is legally acceptable depends upon the composition of the product. For example, if the product is to be named, say, "Chicken & Vegetables", the recipe must contain at least 10% chicken and the chicken must provide at least 1g protein per 100 kJ (4g protein per 100 kcal). If the product is to be named, say, "Vegetables and Chicken", the recipe must contain at least 8% chicken, the chicken must provide at least 0.5g protein per 100kJ (2.2g protein per 100kcal) and the total protein content of the product must be at least 0.7g per 100 kJ (3g per 100 kcal). The Scratchpad function within CARAT can be used to ensure recipes comply with these legislation requirements.
