Labels Battle Half Won
UK - EU proposals on food labelling are a mixed bag for British farmers and growers, says the NFU.
7 February 2008
2 minute read
On the plus side, the NFU has welcomed the European Commission's commitment to a Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) approach for front of pack nutrition labelling. This promotes informed and balanced choices for consumers without a bombardment of information or over simplification.
However, the union is disappointed that the EU has stopped short of proposing mandatory country of origin labelling. NFU Vice President Paul Temple describes this as 'a missed opportunity'.
"Instead, we see a voluntary proposal which will lead to a confused and varied approach across EU member states, with every country adopting its own national legislation on origin labelling" he said.
Even so the NFU remains hopeful. It says that as these are only proposals and the issue still has to be debated in the European Parliament, the battle is far from lost. "We shall be urging NFU members to contact their MEPs to ask them to make sure that country of origin labelling is made compulsory, to provide greater transparency for consumers, and to enable British farmers and growers to earn a fair return for their investment in quality and assurance," added Mr Temple.
The NFU plans to reaffirm its concerns in both UK and Brussels during the forthcoming government consultations."
However, the union is disappointed that the EU has stopped short of proposing mandatory country of origin labelling. NFU Vice President Paul Temple describes this as 'a missed opportunity'.
"Instead, we see a voluntary proposal which will lead to a confused and varied approach across EU member states, with every country adopting its own national legislation on origin labelling" he said.
Even so the NFU remains hopeful. It says that as these are only proposals and the issue still has to be debated in the European Parliament, the battle is far from lost. "We shall be urging NFU members to contact their MEPs to ask them to make sure that country of origin labelling is made compulsory, to provide greater transparency for consumers, and to enable British farmers and growers to earn a fair return for their investment in quality and assurance," added Mr Temple.
The NFU plans to reaffirm its concerns in both UK and Brussels during the forthcoming government consultations."
