EU Food & Trade Policy

Settings — 2026-04-21

This policy describes our compliance with European Union food safety, food information, hygiene, consumer protection, and e-commerce regulations as they apply to the sale of food and grocery products through this online store. It covers all 27 EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden) and the EEA states (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway).

1. General Food Law — Regulation (EC) 178/2002

We adhere to the overarching principles of EU food law as established by Regulation (EC) 178/2002, including:

• Traceability (Art. 18): We maintain records of every supplier and can trace every food product one step back (supplier) and one step forward (consumer delivery).
• Safety (Art. 14): No food product is listed for sale that is injurious to health or unfit for human consumption.
• Responsibility (Art. 17): As a food business operator, we ensure that food satisfies the requirements of food law at all stages under our control.
• Precautionary Principle (Art. 7): Where scientific uncertainty exists, provisional risk management measures may be adopted.
• Rapid Alert (Art. 50): We cooperate with the RASFF system and immediately withdraw/recall products when notified of a food safety alert.

2. Food Information to Consumers — Regulation (EU) 1169/2011

Every food product listed on our store includes:

• The name of the food (legal/customary/descriptive name).
• List of ingredients, with allergens emphasised (Art. 21 — the 14 allergens listed in Annex II: celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide/sulphites).
• Net quantity.
• Date of minimum durability or "use by" date.
• Storage and usage conditions.
• Name and address of the food business operator.
• Country of origin / place of provenance where required.
• Nutritional declaration (energy, fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein, salt) per Art. 30.
• Alcohol content where applicable (Art. 28).

This information is provided in the official language(s) of the destination Member State, or in a language easily understood by consumers (Art. 15).

3. Food Hygiene — Regulation (EC) 852/2004

All food products we sell are sourced from suppliers who comply with Regulation (EC) 852/2004:

• Suppliers are registered with their national competent authority.
• HACCP-based procedures are implemented throughout the food chain.
• Cold chain requirements are maintained for temperature-sensitive products during storage and transport.
• We conduct regular supplier audits and maintain hygiene compliance records.

For products of animal origin, suppliers additionally comply with Regulation (EC) 853/2004 (specific hygiene rules) and bear the relevant health/identification marks.

4. Contaminants, Residues & Novel Foods

• Contaminants: Products comply with maximum levels set by Regulation (EC) 1881/2006 (mycotoxins, heavy metals, dioxins, PCBs, PAHs, etc.).
• Pesticide residues: Compliant with Regulation (EC) 396/2005 maximum residue levels (MRLs).
• Novel foods: Any novel food ingredient is authorised under Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 before being sold.
• GMOs: Genetically modified food complies with Regulation (EC) 1829/2003 and is labelled per Regulation (EC) 1830/2003.

5. Organic Products & Geographical Indications

Products marketed as organic comply with Regulation (EU) 2018/848. PDO, PGI, and TSG products are labelled in accordance with Regulation (EU) 1151/2012.

6. E-Commerce Directive — 2000/31/EC

In compliance with the E-Commerce Directive, we:

• Clearly identify the service provider, geographic address, email, and trade register details.
• Display prices inclusive of all taxes and delivery costs before order placement.
• Enable the consumer to identify and correct input errors before placing an order (Art. 11).
• Send an electronic acknowledgement of receipt of the order without undue delay (Art. 11).
• Make contract terms available in a way that allows the consumer to store and reproduce them.

7. Consumer Rights — Directive 2011/83/EU

Before an order is placed, we provide the pre-contractual information required by Art. 6, including: product characteristics, total price, delivery costs, right of withdrawal (14 days), and complaint handling. See our Terms of Service for full withdrawal details.

Food-specific exclusion: Sealed food items opened by the consumer and perishable goods with short shelf life are excluded from the right of withdrawal per Art. 16(d) and 16(e).

8. Distance Selling of Food

Under Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 Art. 14, for pre-packed food sold through distance means, all mandatory food information (except the date of minimum durability) must be availablebefore the purchase is concluded. The remaining information is provided at the time of delivery (on the physical label).

9. Scandinavian-Specific Requirements

Sweden

• Compliance with Livsmedelslagen (2006:804) and Livsmedelsverket (National Food Agency) regulations.
• Keyhole labelling (Nyckelhålet) is applied where products meet the criteria of LIVSFS 2009:6.
• Country-of-origin labelling for primary ingredients as per Swedish national rules.

Denmark

• Compliance with Fødevareloven (LBK nr 999 af 02/07/2018) and Fødevarestyrelsen (Danish Veterinary and Food Administration) requirements.
• The Danish "Ø" organic label (Statskontrollen) is displayed for organic products certified in Denmark.
• Smileys-system transparency: we partner only with suppliers rated satisfactorily in the Danish smiley inspection scheme.

Finland

• Compliance with Elintarvikelaki (297/2021) and Finnish Food Authority (Ruokavirasto) guidelines.
• Heart Symbol (Sydänmerkki) labelling supported for qualifying products.
• Finnish/Swedish bilingual labelling where required by the Language Act (kielilaki).

Norway (EEA)

• Compliance with Matloven (LOV-2003-12-19-124) and Mattilsynet (Norwegian Food Safety Authority).
• Keyhole labelling applies per Nøkkelhullsforskriften.
• Products comply with the EEA Agreement, which extends the EU single market rules — including food safety — to Norway.

10. Product Safety & Market Surveillance

We comply with the General Product Safety Directive 2001/95/EC and Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 on market surveillance. When informed of a safety issue, we immediately halt sales of the affected product, notify the relevant national authorities, and communicate recall information to affected consumers.

11. Import & Intra-EU Trade

Products sourced from within the EU benefit from the free movement of goods (TFEU Art. 34–36). Imports from third countries comply with EU official controls (Regulation (EU) 2017/625) and the Common Customs Tariff. Phytosanitary certificates, veterinary checks, and border control inspections are completed before products enter our supply chain.

12. Sustainability & Packaging

Packaging complies with Directive 94/62/EC (Packaging and Packaging Waste) and the proposed Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. We participate in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes in each Member State where we make products available. Material identification markings are included per Commission Decision 97/129/EC.

13. Contact

For questions about this food and trade policy, contact us at compliance@store.example.