Written Answers - Food Labelling.
Brendan Smith
Question:
123
Mr. B. Smith
asked the
Minister for Agriculture and Food
if he will outline the proposals to be implemented in relation to food labelling following on the report of the food labelling group; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[10083/03]
The proposals with the report of the food labelling group are as follows:
The following labelling information should be provided on foods sold loose: minimum durability; name; and ingredients liable to cause allergies. The amendment to Directive 2000/13/EC relating to allergies awaits adoption by the Council and European Parliament. In addition, in the case of processed meat products or food products with meat as an ingredient, sold loose, the total meat content broken down by species should be provided. This latter provision should also apply to the food service sector.
The following labelling information should be provided on unprocessed poultry meat sold loose: the poultry class; price per weight unit; condition, fresh or frozen; recommended storage temperature; registered number of slaughterhouse; and country of origin if imported from a third country.
The full list of ingredients liable to cause allergies or intolerances should be provided on pre-packaged food labels and in the food service sector. Misleading or ambiguous nutritional claims, health claims, functional claims, etc., should be prohibited. The EU proposal for a regulation which will address these issues should be fully supported by the Government. All food and drink labels must be clear, accurate and easy to read. A voluntary code of practice should be adopted by the food and drinks industry to ensure that all labels meet these criteria.
The co-ordination and development of policy on food labelling should as far as possible be centralised in the Department of Agriculture and Food and the Department of Health and Children. A mechanism should be devised to facilitate full consultation between the authorities and all stakeholders in the adoption and implementation of any new regulation in this area including the recommendations in this report.
The FSAI should have overall responsibility for the enforcement of the general and related specific labelling legislation by way of service contracts with the enforcement agencies. Synergies between the agencies, the avoidance of overlap and the use of risk management techniques should be key factors in ensuring an efficient and effective enforcement strategy. The FSAI should promote a culture of compliance with regard to food labelling legislation in all sectors. Adequate resources should be provided to ensure that legislative requirements regarding the inspection and analysis of food labelling are fully implemented.
All enforcement officers including laboratory staff should be adequately trained in labelling. There should be a one-stop shop to deal with consumer inquiries and complaints regarding food labelling. It is recommended that the FSAI should carry out this role. Reports on the enforcement of the food labelling regulations should be published regularly by the FSAI. The transposition of EU legislation into national law, where necessary for the purpose of enforcement, should be done as soon as possible after the adoption and publication of such EU legislation.
As part of its overall education policy, the Department of Education and Science should incorporate a module on food safety, labelling and consumer issues into the primary and secondary school curricula.
Ongoing research into food labelling should be carried out to establish a scientific base for con sumers concerns in this area. The consumer liaison panel should examine this issue and draw up an appropriate research strategy.
Safefood, the food safety promotion board, should, as part of its all-island food safety remit, initiate a public awareness campaign about food labelling, allergens, etc. and about consumers' legal entitlement to clear accurate labelling. Educational and promotional material and access to website information should be made available to consumers.
The responsibilities of the food sector in producing safe food and providing accurate information on the label should be emphasised. The food sector should also play a leading role in educating the consumer about labels.
Information on the origin of fresh, chilled and frozen sheep meat, pig meat and poultry meat sold in retail outlets, pre-packaged or otherwise, should be declared. Information on the origin of the primary meat protein source, beef, sheep meat, pig meat, poultry meat sold in the food service sector should be provided to the consumer.
Consumer research should be carried out to establish: how origin should be defined in respect of fresh, chilled and frozen sheep meat, pig meat and poultry meat sold in retail outlets; how origin should be defined in respect of the primary meat protein source, beef, sheep meat, pig meat, poultry meat, sold in the food service sector; and the usefulness and effectiveness of the beef labelling regulations from a consumer perspective.
Only where an imported food product undergoes substantial transformation in the importing country can the name of the importing country be given as the country of origin on the label or at the point of sale or consumption. To this effect substantial transformation should be clearly defined and harmonised across all EU member states.
I have recently agreed a strategy for the implementation of these recommendations and to this end an interdepartmental and agency committee has been established to monitor implementation.
