EU ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy
30.3.2021
Priority question for written answer P-001766/2021
to the Commission
Rule 138
Tomislav Sokol (PPE)
As part of the ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy, the Commission envisages that it will present a legislative proposal by 2022 on harmonised and mandatory nutrition labelling on the front of product packaging, all in order to enable consumers to make health-conscious food choices. Several different ways of labelling food are already known to be in use in the single market. Some of them do not take into account the beneficial effects of products such as virgin olive oil. Thus, for example, Nutri-Score labelling ranks a carbonated drink containing artificial sweetener as more desirable in terms of nutritional value than the virgin olive oil that is characteristic of the Mediterranean diet. Notwithstanding the objective positive effects of informing consumers of nutritional values on the front of packaging:
- 1.How will the Commission ensure that the proposed method of labelling food does not mislead consumers about the beneficial effects of specific products such as olive oil?
- 2.Does the Commission plan to provide for exceptions to the labelling obligation for products with protected designations of origin and geographical indications in the draft legislative act?
- 3.What impact assessment does the Commission intend to carry out, with a view to proposing legislation on mandatory nutrition labelling for food on the front of packaging?