What is the purpose of a product label?
The label must offer consumers information about the product they are buying; it is generally a vehicle of information between function, content, production company and end consumer. It is, in addition, essential to enhance the value of the product and differentiate it from competitors.
The information to be included in the label of each type of product is regulated by national and European regulations, which aim to ensure correct information. The information communicated must be correct and transparent and must not mislead those who buy the goods, must not attribute effects or properties to the product that it does not possess, and must not suggest that the product possesses special characteristics when all similar products possess identical ones.
The labeling of plant protection products:
The labeling of plant protection products is primarily governed by Chapter VII of Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market and the subsequent Regulation (EU) No. 547/2011 implementing Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to the labeling requirements for plant protection products.
The label must meet the classification, labeling and packaging requirements of Regulation (EC) No. 1272/2008 (CLP) and must include a whole range of mandatory information, including:
– Trade name, function and type of product;
– Holder and authorization number;
– Identity of active substance(s) and amount contained;
– Lot number and date of manufacture;
– First aid information;
– Any special hazards and precautions for human or animal health or for – the environment.
– Instructions for use;
– Any directions required at the time of product approval;
– The category of users for whom the product is intended (professional or amateur use).
In addition, Regulation (EU) No. 547/2011 introduces a set of standard phrases on special hazards and precautions for human or animal health or for – the environment, to be stated on the label.
Plant protection products for professional use and non-professional use:
The above provisions apply both to users trained to use plant protection products (through the attainment of the so-called “patent”), and to amateur users, i.e., consumers who are not trained to use the product safely and without risk from incorrect handling or use.
The final label that will accompany the plant protection product placed on the market is approved by the Ministry in a special authorization order, following a thorough evaluation by the Plant Protection Advisory Section, and published in the database of plant protection products.
Particular attention is, therefore, paid to products for non-professional use, for which the General Directorate for Hygiene and Safety of Food and Nutrition has developed a model label, to be submitted with the application for reconsideration or re-authorization of such products, in order to allow a homogeneous and complete implementation of national and EU provisions on labeling.
In fact, the ministerial decrees January 22, 2018 and November 20, 2021 define peculiar elements of the labeling of products for amateur use, with the aim of ensuring the simplification of the expression of the dosage, the manner of taking the dose and the preparation of the mixture, taking into account the extent of the treated areas and the equipment used at the non-professional level, with the possible use of pictograms. It is also stipulated that the label of products for non-professional use shall include warnings and cautionary phrases aimed at raising the user’s awareness of the risks associated with the domestic storage and use of plant protection products and ensuring proper behavior that results in the minimum risk of hazardous exposure of health, and the surrounding environment.
It should be emphasized that the aforementioned national provisions do not replace but supplement existing provisions on the labeling of plant protection products.
The model label can be found on the Ministry of Health website, as can the supporting documentation produced: https://www.salute.gov.it/portale/fitosanitari/dettaglioNotizieFitosanitari.jsp?lingua=italiano&menu=notizie&p=dalministero&id=5913.
