1. Does the food information have to be immediately and directly visible on the seller’s internet sales site before the purchase?
The information does not have to be displayed directly on the internet sales site. The consumer can also be directed via a link to another internet page that supplies the information, for example to another page in the seller’s online shop or away from the online shop to the internet page of another food business. The most important thing is that it is easy for the consumers to understand and know where they can get the mandatory food information from quickly.
2. Is it sufficient to provide the required labelling information as a picture on the label of the product?
A picture or a pdf-file of the label on the packaging can be a sufficient way of providing the mandatory information if the information thus provided is clear and easy to read in Finnish and Swedish.
3. Is it sufficient to provide the mandatory information is Swedish on request?
The mandatory information has to be provided in both languages. The manner of providing it may vary. The information can for example be supplied in one language next to the product for sale and in the other language as an attached file, picture or link to another web site. The most important thing is that it is easy for the consumers to understand and know where they can get the information from in the different languages.
4. How are the language requirements monitored for foods supplied through distance selling?
The municipal food control authorities monitor that mandatory food information is provided in both languages as part of the regular controls of the operator.
5. How is the language requirement for distance sales to be observed in online shops selling local foods in unilingual municipalities?
The mandatory labelling of prepacked foods, also locally sourced foods, that are sold online and only supplied to a unilingual municipality, has to be provided in at least the language spoken in that municipality.
6. Does the language requirement concern online food shops operating from other countries in the Finnish language?
The obligation according to the Language Act on providing food information in both official languages concerns businesses registered in Finland which sell food to Finnish consumers via an online shop or by way of other distance selling.
7. Does the language requirement for distance selling of foods also apply to online shops that are situated in Finland but only sell in other languages?
The requirement does not apply to businesses registered in Finland which sell foods via an online shop to the consumers of another country.
8. Does the language requirement for distance selling of food apply to food business operators which are situated in Finland but sell food to the consumers via an online shop that does not have the top-level domain .fi (an online shop with the TLD .com, for example)?
The requirement applies to all businesses registered in Finland which sell food via an online shop to Finnish consumers, regardless of the online shop’s domain name. The online shop is also considered to be selling products to Finnish consumers if the language of the online shop is Finnish or if the Finnish flag or any other information is used to indicate that the products are supplied to Finnish consumers also.
9. How are the language requirements to be observed in distance selling of foods supplied via mobile phone applications?
The sale of foods via mobile phone apps is distance selling in the same way as selling via an online shop. If packed foods are sold via mobile phone apps to Finnish consumers, the mandatory food information has to be supplied in both languages before the consumer has to make the decision to purchase. The information has to be supplied either in the mobile phone app or via a link to an internet page from the app. The most important thing is that it is easy for the consumers to understand and to know from where they can get the mandatory food information.