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Authorities say some ethnic food retailers in Finland continue to sell products without proper Finnish or Swedish labelling, despite repeated warnings.
According to the Finnish Food Authority, 12 percent of retailers inspected last year sold items that lacked mandatory product information. The issue is most common in ethnic shops that import food independently.
“The lack of labelling is very serious,” said Tuulikki Lehto, senior expert at the authority. “Allergens can, in the worst cases, cause a trip to hospital.”
Regulations require food sold in Finland to include key details such as the name of the product, ingredients, allergens, net quantity, expiry date, and country of origin. In bilingual municipalities, labels must be in both Finnish and Swedish.
Authorities say non-compliance often stems from limited awareness, weak language skills, or financial considerations.
Taru Panu, a health engineer at Vaasa’s City Environmental Office, said entrepreneurs may avoid relabelling because it is time-consuming and costly.
“Some are unfamiliar with the legal requirements. They might think having shelves and a cash register is enough,” said Heiman Khezri, from the Multicultural Entrepreneurs Association.
Vaasa’s Environmental Office has identified several repeated violations in the city’s ethnic food shops. Of the five businesses that import products directly, two received multiple warnings over the past two years. One store corrected its labelling. The other has not.
Esa Hirvijärvi, director of the Vaasa Environmental Office, said businesses that skip compliance save money. “Those that comply pay more.”
Labelling failures have also been found in Seinäjoki and Kokkola.
To support compliance, Lehto suggested a shared wholesaler to help consolidate product information or hiring agents to manage legal requirements.
“There’s a need for clearer guidance and translations,” said Khezri. “The information is scattered, and not available in other languages.”
The Finnish Food Authority offers a guide in Finnish and Swedish, while EU labelling rules are available online in multiple languages.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
