G/TBT/N/ISR/696  
 
19 July 2013  
(13-3891)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
 NOTIFICATION 
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6 
 
1. Notifying Member:  ISRAEL  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):     
2. Agency responsible:  Israel WTO-TBT Enquiry Point 
Name and address (including telephon e and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above :   
Israel WTO-TBT Enquiry Point  
Ministry of Economy 
Tel.:  + (972) 3 7347502 Fax:  + (972) 3 7347626 E-mail:  Yael.Friedgut@moital.gov.il  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:   
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Foodstuffs 
(HS: Section I to IV - Chapters 1 to 24; ICS: 67.040). 
5. Title, number of pages and langua ge(s) of the notified document:  Public Health 
Regulations (Food) (Nutritional Labelling) 5773 - 2013 (4 pages, in Hebrew).     
6. Description of content:   
Draft amendment to " Public Health Regulations (Food) (Nutritional Labelling) " announced 
by Israel Ministry of Health. The major change introduced in this draft amendment is the 
addition of paragraph 5a dealing with requirements for Front of Pack Labelling  (FOP) .  
In addition to Israel's mandatory nutritional labelling requirements appearing in various 
regulations and standards, the Israel Ministry of Health has decided to add a Front of Pack 
label for the following reasons: to encourage the food industry to re-formulate and 
improve food products; to provide customers with   nutritional values of consumed food; to 
use a simple and clear labelling system; to emphasize key ingredients and to make them 
accessible; to encourage customers to decrease consumption of saturated fats, trans fatty-
acids, sugars, sodium and redundant calories and to provide consumers with information to help them to shop wisely. 
The suggested labelling requirements will focus on 4 major nutritional ingredients that will 
be marked on the front of the food package: energy (in calories); sugar (in grams); fat (in grams) and sodium (in milligrams). These ingredients should be marked in the above mentioned order and should be designed into a specific symbol  as shown in the 
amendment's third annex. The size of letters and figures in the symbol  should not be 
smaller than 1/3 the size of letters of the customary food's name and in any case, will not be smaller than the food's name, or alternatively the area of the Front of Pack label  as 
shown in the amendment's third annex will not be smaller than 20% of the area of the 
front of the pack, including keeping the required ratio between the letters and figures mentioned above. G/TBT/N/ISR/696 
 
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  In alcoholic drinks only the energy need be shown in a specific symbol  as appears in the 
amendment's fourth annex.  
The symbol  is an additional requirement and it does not cancel or replace the requirement 
to comply with regulations and standards for food or for nutritional labelling. 
The following foods are exempt from these suggested labelling requirements: foods that 
are exempt from the requirements of nutritional labelling under the regulations; nutritional 
supplements as defined in Israel Public Health Regulations (Food) (Nutritional 
Supplements) 5767 - 1997; food preparations for babies and infants and medicinal foods 
defined in the Israel National Health Insurance Law 5764 - 1994 . 
In the first stage, from six months after publication in the Israel Official Gazette until the 
entry into force of this amendment, manufacturers and importers are recommended to 
make arrangements for implementing the new requirements and can voluntarily mark 
their products with the FOP label symbol, as specifically directed in the new requirements. 
This amendment should enter into force and become mandatory 3 years after publication 
in the Israel O fficial Gazette. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  Consumer information, labelling  
8. Relevant documents:    
- Draft amendment to Public Health Regulations (Food) (Nutritional Labelling) 5773-
2013; 
- Public Health Regulations (Food) (Nutritional Labelling) 5763 - 1993.   
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:    To be determined 3 years after publication in Israel Official Gazette, Section of Government Notices 
10. Final date for comments:  60 days from date of notification. 
11. Text available from:  National enquiry point [X], or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresse s, if available of the other body:   ƒ 
- Public Health Regulations (Food) (Nutritional Labelling) 5763 - 1993 (Hebrew) 
 http://www2.moital.gov.il/cmstamat/rsrc/tkina/PublicHealthRegulations-Original.pdf   
- Draft amendment to Public Health Regulations (Food) (Nutritional Labelling)5773-
2013 (Hebrew) http://www2.moital.gov.il/cmstamat/rsrc/tkina/PublicHealthRegulations-
Amendment.pdf   
- Clarifications to the amendment (Hebrew) 
 http://www2.moital.gov.il/cmstamat/rsrc/tkina/PublicHealthRegulations-
Clarifications.pdf