Nutritional labelling on food should be standardised across Europe, the EU has said today (30 January).
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The European Commission said it wants to make food labels “clearer and more relevant to the needs of EU consumers”.
It said European consumers had become confused by the “ever more varied and complex” labels carried on food across the 27 member states of the EU.
“The Commission’s proposal aims to provide consumers with easy access to the most important information on food labels and to ensure some uniformity in its presentation across the 27 member states,” it added.
The proposals come just a week after the UK government called for the country’s food industry to develop a single labelling system.
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By GlobalDataAt present in the UK, some producers and retailers favour the colour-coded “Traffic Lights” format, others use the GDA (guideline daily amounts) system, and one food retailer uses a hybrid form.
The Commission’s plans include insisting that food manufacturers include the level of energy, fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt per 100ml/g on the labels. Products must also carry information on what these levels represent in terms of the recommended daily allowance of each element, the Commission said.
EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said a simplification of the labelling on food could help consumers eat more healthily.
“Today’s proposal aims to ensure that food labels carry the essential information in a clear and legible way, so that EU citizens are empowered to make balanced dietary choices,” Kyprianou said.
The Commission’s plans also include a proposal that all food containing allergenic substances – not just pre-packaged food – must have labels indicating the presence of the allergens. The proposal would also stretch to the horeca sector.
The Commission insisted its proposals were drawn up after “extensive consultations” with consumer bodies and the food industry.
“Industry should also benefit from the proposed new rules, as they set up a clearer, more harmonised legislative framework for food labelling and create a level playing field for all operators,” the Commission said.
See the just-food blog on why a hybrid labelling system could be a likely compromise.
