Instructions: Key Flag Symbol for food products
You are applying for or have already been issued the right to use the Key Flag Symbol for your products. According to the main criteria of the Key Flag Symbol, the product must be manufactured in Finland and its domestic content must be at least 50%. The Key Flag Symbol does not mean that all the raw ingredients must be Finnish. The Key Flag Symbol is a mark of Finnish work and production.
According to EU regulation, if the country of origin of a food is indicated on the packaging and is different from the country of origin of the main ingredient, the country of origin of the main ingredient must also be indicated. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 2018/775 provides for the indication of the country of origin of the main ingredient of a food. The Regulation is in force and applicable from 1 April 2020. However, as an exception, Regulation 2018/775 does not apply at this stage to trademarks that can be considered as a mark of origin without specific provisions (Regulation 2018/775, Article 1).
Recommendations to member companies:
If a registered trademark such as the Key Flag Symbol is used on the packaging of a product, this does not trigger the obligation to declare the main ingredient under the above-mentioned Regulation. We have discussed the Regulation with the Finnish Food Authority and their guidelines for the use of the Key Flag Symbol. Based on this discussion, we recommend all our member companies that are applying for the Key Flag Symbol for packaged food or have already been issued right to use the Key Flag Symbol to follow these principles:
1.
In general, although not required for registered versions of the Key Flag Symbol, we strongly recommend that the country of origin of the main ingredient is indicated for transparency purposes, where possible. The idea is that failure to disclose this information will not mislead the buyer as to the true country of origin of the main ingredient. In some product groups, such as meat and dairy products, Finnish national legislation also requires the declaration of origin. For more information, please contact the Finnish Food Authority.
2.
If it is not appropriate for your product to indicate the main ingredient on the packaging, for example due to varying countries of origin, we recommend using the textless version of the Key Flag Symbol (below) or its textual version that reads “Made in Finland” (below). These two versions of the mark have been registered by Finnish Work and therefore do not trigger the obligation to declare the main ingredient.
3.
If you have been authorised to use a special version of the Key Flag Symbol that bears a text other than the above (for example “Baked in Tampere” or similar), you should be aware that, according to the interpretation of the Finnish Food Authority, its use obliges you to declare the main ingredient. This will continue to be the case, as we will not be registering these specially authorised versions of the mark.
The logos and instructions for their use can be downloaded from the Association’s Extranet service. Please get in touch if you have any questions. We are happy to help.
More information:
Nina Pohjoiskoski
Account Manager, Key Flag Symbol
050 344 6048
nina.pohjoiskoski@suomalainentyo.fi
Päivi Fogelberg
Head of Administration
040 060 0293
paivi.fogelberg@suomalainentyo.fi
15 November 2024