Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 December 2012
117. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Health if he is introducing legislation to mandate for food nutrition traffic light labelling and when this legislation will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54688/12]
View answerFood labelling is currently governed by Council Directive 2000/13/EC (general labelling) and Council Directive 90/496/EEC (nutrition labelling). In November 2011, a new food labelling Regulation was accepted by the European Parliament, Council and Commission. The provisions of this Regulation will be effective from 2014 in most cases, and from 2016 in others.
The main changes proposed include an extension of compulsory country of origin labelling to fresh meat of swine, sheep, goats and poultry, a minimum font size on food labels for ease-of-reading and the introduction of a mandatory nutrition declaration on pre-packed foods. This declaration will entail the presentation of the amounts of energy, fat, saturates, carbohydrates, protein, sugars and salt (per 100g or per 100ml) in the same field of vision, with scope for also presenting per portion. Allowance will be made for the presentation of this information through both Guideline Daily Amounts (mandatory) and Traffic Lights (voluntary).
These changes will further empower the consumer to make healthy food choices. An EU Working Group has now been set up to interpret any ambiguous sections of the Regulation and to provide clarity to all Member States. My Department is represented on this group which has had six meeting so far in 2012. This group is expected to issue its final guidelines in early 2013, soon after which this legislation will be introduced into Irish law. All provisions relating to the nutrition declaration will come into effect in December 2016.
