Informative labelling

We believe that our customers have the right to know the contents of the products they buy in order to make an informed purchase.

Royal Greenland practices openness in the labelling of our seafood products. We want to give the consumer the information needed in order to make an informed purchase.

We share common guidelines for the set-up and contents of informative labels. The packaging may contain various information, according to regulations or to customer requests in the various countries where the product is sold.

Ingredients list

The ingredients list shows which ingredients the product contains. This depends on the recipe and are listed in order of quantity. Additives will be written in words or using E- numbers.

Nutritive values

The nutritive values show the energy for each 100 grams of product. These values are broken down into the usual energy sources: protein, carbohydrate and fat. In the future, these values will also include the types of sugar, the saturated fat, fibre and sodium, so that it will be easier to choose healthy foods.

Storage and shelf life information

The storage and shelf life information explains how and for how long the product can be kept under the conditions described. There can be various storage temperatures for refrigerated products. This is due to the fact that the regulatory requirements vary from country to country. In Denmark, products must be stored at a maximum of +5° C, but in Norway, for example, the maximum is +4° C and in Germany, +7° C. 
 

The storage temperature may vary but the shelf-life will remain the same. Therefore a product will not last longer because it has been kept at a lower temperature.

Weight specifications

Customers must always be able to read the amount of the product on the package. At Royal Greenland, we use the following terms: gross, net and drained weight.

The gross weight is the total amount in the package. This weight will be given for glazed products that have been glazed with water. The gross weight is therefore both fish and water.

The net weight is the weight of the product (sales weight) that the customer can expect to find in the package. For water-glazed products, this will be the amount of fish or shellfish. The water is considered as part of the packaging and is added so that the product will last longer.

The drained weight of brined products is the weight when drained, that is, the sales weight and not the gross weight.

Keyhole label

The green keyhole is a nutrition label on the healthiest foods in Denmark. This is a voluntary label that may only be used if the product meets various criteria regarding the content of fat, sugar, salt and fibre.

The authorisation number

The authorisation number is specific to the plant or factory that has produced the finished, packaged goods. It is necessary to have an authorisation number in order to sell/produce the goods. This number is also known as a plant-approval number.

e-label

Some products are marked with a small "e" after the weight specification. The E-label is a European control scheme that ensures that the product has been packaged according to uniform rules. The E-label is voluntary and is monitored by certified laboratories and inspection companies. A company must be approved in order to be able to use the E-label on its products. 

The purpose of the GDA is to provide a recognisable, understandable label that provides information about important nutrients and helps consumers make an aware choice when shopping. This information can be used to plan a sensible daily intake of food. 

The GDA must be used as guideline information and cannot be used as dietary advice. The portion sizes must be considered as guideline amounts that can be part of a balanced diet. This is why the portions vary in size. The GDA has only recently come into use in Denmark, but has been used in Europe for many years. It is based on how much the average adult woman should eat/consume daily. The GDA label will be on the front of the package; a more extensive list of nutritional values will be on the back.