EU tightens duty to provide information

 
Law The EU is stepping up the fight against obesity and wants to standardize food labelling. 
The EU Commission has presented its long-awaited proposal on nutritional information for food. It has met with criticism not only from food manufacturers, but also from retailers.rules down to the last detailImportant information on the nutritional value of pre-packaged foods should now appear on the front of the pack. This includes information on energy content, carbohydrate content with specific mention of sugar, salt, fat and saturated fatty acids. All of this information should relate to the average daily requirement of nutrients, based on 100 grams or milliliters or on one portion, and should have a clearly defined font size. The graphic implementation, i.e. the use of certain symbols, is a matter for the individual member states, which must make individual arrangements in national recommendations.
"Inflexible requirements""The EU Commission is overstepping the mark," said Stefan Genth, Managing Director of the German Retail Federation (HDE), on January 30 in Berlin without any ifs or buts. "The requirements are so inflexible that companies have little to no leeway when it comes to the actual implementation on the packaging. The threat of different implementations in the member states is particularly critical. This helps neither customers nor internationally active retailers," said Genth.
Due to the new regulations, companies would not only face more bureaucracy, but also significantly higher costs. The EU Council and EU Parliament still have to approve the draft regulation. If the new regulation comes into force, Swiss manufacturers will also have to comply. They will also have to adapt their labels in future.
Sabine Flaxman