Working in Europe for Everyone in Yorkshire and the Humber

31st January 2008 - MEP McAvan welcomes new proposals for food labelling

Labour's Health Spokesperson in the European Parliament, Yorkshire and the Humber MEP Linda McAvan, is giving broad support to new measures proposed by the European Commission yesterday to strengthen rules on food labelling. But Ms McAvan has expressed disappointment that 'traffic light' style labels are not likely to become the norm across Europe.

In proposals for processed food and drink labels announced yesterday, the Commission recommended:

Mandatory front of pack labelling, to include percentages of recommended daily allowances for: energy, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, sugar and salt content.
A minimum print size to prevent manufacturers hiding details of ingredients in the small print.
All food containing allergenic substances (such as peanuts, milk, mustard or fish) must be labelled. However, the Commission did not back proposals for 'traffic light' labelling, saying only that national authorities can introduce such schemes if they wish.

Linda McAvan says;

“In the fight against Europe's obesity crisis, better food labelling has an important role to play. That is why I am pleased that the Commission is proposing these new, tougher rules. Research suggests that the typical shopper takes just four seconds to decide whether to buy a product after picking it up from the shelf. That is why I backed what I think is the simplest labelling system: the traffic light system."

She added;

"What we want are clear labels that are easy to understand by the general public"