EuroCommerce stands up for clarity on food labelling  press release

Date:                   15 June 2010

On Wednesday 16 June, MEPs will vote in first reading on the proposed Regulation on Food Information to Consumers. On such an important issue, it is crucial to strike the right balance between clarity and detail. In bringing together two existing measures, this Regulation must put simplicity, clarity and usefulness over all other considerations: too much detail can lead to confusion. 

We therefore ask MEPs to bear in mind five key questions:

What does commerce want from food labelling?

The commerce sector wants what our customers want: clarity, reliability and accuracy. So ‘need to know’ elements (energy, fat, saturates, sugar and salt) should be mandatory, with energy on the front of the pack. But consumers do not want information overkill: rules on the placing of other information must be flexible, to allow for variety of packaging and product.

Can we have one system of labelling for all of Europe?

Whether colour–coding or GDAs (Guideline Daily Amounts) are used, the essential point is that consumers understand the label. There is no scientifically proven view on what works best. Operators should therefore be free to repeat the mandatory nutrition declaration and/or provide further details using the voluntary labelling scheme of their choice. But the imposition of different national schemes must be avoided: multiple packaging requirements make barriers which split the single market and create unnecessary costs.

Can you make sure that labels are easy to read?

The font size for nutrition information may be important but more crucial is legibility. Colour, contrast, printing quality can all provide legibility. Operators must be able to tailor the labels they use to accord with packaging size, multilingual labelling requirements and space for branding.

Should loaves of bread, sandwiches and other non pre-packed food be labelled?

The huge variety of product ranges, the manual production and the ever-changing offer of non-pre-packed foodstuffs, makes it impossible to provide the same nutritional declaration and list of ingredients as pre-packed foods. Nevertheless, information on allergens must always be available.

Who should be liable?

On liability, operators need clarity: we need EU-wide rules and not national differences. Principal liability for compliance with food labelling rules should be with the first person to place a product on the EU market – be this manufacturer, importer or, for own-brand products, the retailer.

The commerce sector excels at providing consumers with information about the food products they buy. The consumer makes the choice: help commerce to make it an informed choice.

Marina Valverde

Adviser on Food Policy and Consumers

T:+32 2 737 05 84

valverdelopez@eurocommerce.be