Unclear front-of-pack nutrition labels could prove barrier to trade

The lack of clarity on front-of-pack nutrition labelling in the new EU food information Regulation could be an indirect barrier to trade and a headache for manufacturers, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has claimed.

While the proposed Regulation recommends the Guideline Daily Amounts approach to nutrition labels favoured by the FDF, it also gives Member States the option to use alternatives, such as the controversial traffic lights system.

This was both frustrating for companies supplying multiple markets and potentially anti-competitive, claimed FDF food law and labelling manager Michael Hunt. "If the whole point of this Regulation is to harmonise rules about what should be on food labels, leaving a major part of this to the discretion of the Member States seems very odd. Why even bother with the legislation in the first place? We could have 27 different schemes as a result of legislation that is supposed to harmonise everything."

Giving Member States the option of choosing their own schemes could also prove to be a legal minefield, claimed Owen Warnock, a partner at law firm Eversheds: "The potential indirect barriers to trade are all too obvious in a case where a particular alternative scheme [eg traffic light labels] finds favour in a particular country or with a certain major retailer."

The proposal, which is now out for consultation, brings together general and nutrition labelling for all pre-packed foods and foods sold non-pre-packed. Its aims are simplification and consolidation of existing texts, while ensuring that consumers have sufficient information to make informed choices.