Vol. 554 No. 5
362 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the circumstances surrounding the false labelling of queen potatoes which were on sale in a major supermarket chain at the end of July 2002; in relation to the supplier, the disciplinary action which has been taken by his Department; and if the individual in question has been allocated a grant recently by his Department. [16905/02]
The circumstances surrounding the labelling of queen potatoes in a supermarket was a matter for the Director of Consumer Affairs as that office has the responsibility for labelling, presentation and advertising of pre-packaged foodstuffs under EU Directive 2000/13/EC. Section 4 of the Consumer Information Act, 1978 also makes it an offence to apply a false trade description in the course of any trade, business or profession.
On foot of a complaint from the IFA, officials of the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs met with representatives of the IFA on 23 August 2002 when the ODCA's position in relation to the applicability of EU Directive 2000/13/EC and section 4 of the Consumer Information Act, 1978, in relation to new potatoes, was fully explained to the IFA delegation.
The Director of Consumer Affairs considers that no action is necessary in this case. The packer who supplied the supermarket in question was allocated a grant under the capital investment scheme for marketing and processing of certain agricultural products in 2002.
