Eat Europe and Farm Europe warmly welcome the initiative taken during the Agrifish EU Council by several EU Members States, calling on the European Commission to revise Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers (FIC Regulation) and to extend mandatory origin labelling to a broader range of agricultural and food products.
At a time when food sovereignty has become a strategic priority for the European Union, ensuring long-term access for all citizens to safe, healthy, sustainable and high-quality food requires strong support for European agriculture and the agri-food sector. Transparent and reliable origin labelling is a key tool to achieve this objective.
While EU legislation already provides for mandatory origin labelling for certain products—such as fresh meats, eggs, fruits and vegetables, honey, olive oil, fishery products, wine and organic products—these rules remain fragmented and incomplete. They do not cover all raw products, in particular products of animal origin, and the indication of the origin of primary ingredients in processed foods is still not systematic.
“We strongly believe that clearer and more comprehensive origin labelling would significantly strengthen consumer trust, enhance transparency and better valorise products produced in line with high European standards”, commented Yves Madre, President of Farm Europe. It would also empower consumers to make more informed and sustainable purchasing choices, favouring local supply chains and short distribution circuits, while reinforcing the position of European farmers within the food supply chain.
“In a context marked by the multiplication of trade agreements, European consumers are increasingly attentive to the origin of the food they purchase and are demanding higher levels of transparency. Clear Country of origin labelling – instead of a generic and sometimes misleading indication of origin “EU-Non EU” – is also essential to ensure fair competition and to recognise the economic, social and environmental value of EU production standards”, said the President of Eat Europe Luigi Scordamaglia.
Eat Europe and Farm Europe therefore fully support the call by the signatory Member States for a swift revision of the FIC Regulation. This revision should build on the experience gained from the implementation of the rules on the indication of the origin of primary ingredients, which have represented an important step forward but remain imperfect and unevenly applied across the Union. In particular, Eat Europe encourages the Commission to prioritise the indication of the Country of origin, rather than broad references such as “EU” or “non-EU”, which do not fully meet consumers’ expectations for transparency.
Eat Europe and Farm Europe call on the European Commission to seize this momentum and act without delay. Expanding mandatory Country of origin labelling to the widest possible range of food products is essential to meet consumer expectations, support European farmers, promote sustainable food systems and strengthen the EU’s food sovereignty.
O artigo foi publicado originalmente em Farm Europe.
