European reform of food labelling: How to promote wise choices?

Nutrition and food labelling discussed at the European Parliament

Since January 2008, the European Parliament debates on a reform project of nutrition and food labelling in the European Union. Indeed, the European Commission proposed an ambitious new legislation aiming at better informing citizens on the food products they consume. In practical terms, the Commission notably proposes to require the information on the nutritional value of products to appear in much wider characters and the most relevant information to be indicated on the front of packages. The Commission’s proposal led to lively debates and hundreds of parliamentary amendments.

The Louis Bonduelle Foundation involves itself in the debate

As the issues discussed by Members of the European Parliament fall within the scope of the activities of the Louis Bonduelle Foundation, the latter organized in April 2010 a lunch-debate at the European Parliament to discuss the following questions:

• What are the major lessons of the hundreds of tabled amendments?
• How can the food labelling reform impact on the Europeans’ food habits evolution?
• How to better inform consumers without infantilizing them?
• How to reconcile harmonized labelling with the several realities existing among the Member States regarding health problems related to food?  

First rank parliamentarians and experts

Benefitting from the patronage of Bernadette Vergnaud (Member of the European Parliament and Vice-president of the Internal Market and Consumers’ Protection Committee), who has been the moderator of the discussion, this lunch-debate has in addition involved Renate Sommer, Member of the European Parliament and rapporteur on the proposal of the Commission, as well as several experts from Member States, European organizations, NGOs, etc.  

Read the press release on food labelling

Below are useful documents to learn more on EU activities in the field of nutrition and food labelling:

White Paper on a Strategy for Europe on Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity Related Health Issues from May 30th, 2007  

Proposal of a regulation on the Provision of food information to Consumers  

Draft Report of Mrs. Renate Sommer on the regulation’s proposal