asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will make a statement regarding the existing arrangements for labelling of foodstuffs; the proposals, if any, he has for improving the present situation; and his views on whether it is in the consumers' interest that the full contents of foodstuffs should be clearly signalled on packages and labels.
Written Answers. - Labelling of Foodstuffs.
111.
The present legal requirements for the labelling of foodstuffs are set down in the European Communities (Labelling, Presentation and Advertising of Foodstuffs) Regulations, 1982 (S.I. No. 205 of 1982). These regulations, generally referred to as "the food labelling regulations" gave effect in Ireland to an EC Directive on this matter.
The regulations specify the details which must be shown on the labels of foodstuffs generally. These details include such information as the name of the foodstuff, a full list of ingredients, the net quantity, an indication of the durability of the foodstuff (the "best before" date), storage conditions, a name and address of a manufacturer or packager or seller, etc.
I have recently amended these regulations so as to require that in future, greater information be given on the label of a foodstuff as regards any additives which the foodstuff contains. Currently, only the name of the category to which the additive belongs need be given in a list of ingredients (e.g. colour, preservative, etc.) but when the amended regulations come into effect in mid-1988 the category name will have to be followed by the specific name of the additive or its EC number (e.g. colour tartrazine or colour E102).
I believe that the current regulations, together with the recent amendment I have mentioned, provide the consumer with a reasonable amount of information about the food he or she buys. While I do not intend to introduce further amendments in the near future, I would point out that proposals to amend the original EC Directive, which dates from 1979, are currently under discussion in Brussels but it will be a number of years yet before these result in any change in the current requirements.