EU Proposes to Overhaul Food Labeling Rules

Jan 31, 08:24 AM

BRUSSELS, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission put forward a proposal on Wednesday to overhaul food labeling rules for the European Union (EU), aiming to ensure consumers are well informed.

Under the proposal, pre-packaged food will have to display key nutritional information on the front of the package. General requirements on how nutrition information should be displayed on food labels are also set out, although there is room for member states to promote additional national schemes provided they do notundermine the EU rules.

For public health reasons, the proposal extends the current requirements for allergen labeling to cover non pre-packed food, including food sold in restaurants and other catering establishments.

"Food labels can have a huge influence on consumers' purchasingdecisions. Confusing, overloaded or misleading labels can be more of a hindrance than a help to the consumer," said Markos Kyprianou,EU Commissioner for Health.

"Today's proposal aims to ensure that food labels carry the essential information in a clear and legible way, so that EU citizens are empowered to make balanced dietary choices," she added.

(c) 2008 Xinhua News Agency - CEIS. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved. EU Proposes to Overhaul Food Labeling Rules
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