Foodlaw-Reading
Dr David Jukes, The University of Reading, UK
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Council Minutes, 6 June 2024
The following is an extract from the minutes of the EU Council (Agriculture and Fisheries) held on the 6 June 2024.
The Council took note of the information provided by the German and Austrian delegations, supported by the Estonian, Finnish, French and Portuguese delegations, on the need to extend mandatory origin labelling to other foodstuffs. The Council also took note of the reactions of several delegations and of the Commission
The following is the text from a paper (ref: 10321/24, dated 27 May 2024) provided for dicussion at the meeting on this topic:
Country of Origin Labelling for foodstuffs
Information from the German and Austrian delegation, supported by the Estonian, Finnish, French and Portuguese delegation
Currently, a variety of EU-wide obligations to indicate the country of origin are already in place for some products, such as fresh, chilled or frozen beef and pre-packaged fresh, chilled or frozen pork, sheep, goat and poultry meat, as well as eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables, honey, olive oil, pre-packaged organic products and, in certain cases, the primary ingredient of a food and where there is a risk of misleading labelling.
These regulations support consumers’ trust in the product, ensure greater transparency and equally benefit high quality products of European farmers. They are also a useful solution for enabling consumers to make sustainable purchasing decisions, e.g. by choosing foods with a shorter distance of transport and shorter supply chains. Numerous surveys have shown consumer’s persistent interest in the origin of the food they eat. Thus, the expansion of mandatory EU-wide origin labelling is of great importance to consumers and farmers. Recent initiatives of Member States and private organizations have taken up this development and shown that the market reacts well to consistent labelling of origin. This will particularly help to strengthen the position of farmers in the food supply chain and contribute to a fairer income.
Both transparency and sustainability are also issues the European Commission’s Farm-to-Fork Strategy addresses. Country of origin labelling therefore supports this objective. However, the existing EU regulations are not yet sufficient for achieving these goals.
That is why we support the European Commission’s plan in the Farm to Fork-strategy to expand mandatory origin labelling to include other foodstuffs and harmonise existing regulations. We take the view that intensified measures and a legal framework at European level are urgently necessary, keeping in mind the interests of the economy and its financial burden, especially regarding consumer prices. Therefore, we call on the acting or, respectively, the incoming Commission to swiftly present a legislative proposal for an expansion of mandatory EU-wide country of origin labelling for foodstuffs, which enables consumers to make informed purchasing decisions and ultimately also strengthens the position of European farmers in the food supply chain.
