Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 7 May 2003

Vol. 566 No. 1

Written Answers. - Food Labelling.

Mary Upton

Ceist:

487 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children the action he proposes to take to ensure that misleading or ambiguous nutritional labels are prohibited from food products; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8864/03]

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Mr. T. O'Malley)

There is currently EU legislation in place on the labelling of foodstuffs to enable European consumers to get comprehensive information on the contents and the composition of food products. Labelling helps consumers make an informed choice when purchasing their foodstuffs.

The White Paper on Food Safety published in 2000 announced the intention of the European Commission to amend the current legislation on labelling in order to more fully address consumers' needs and expectations in relation to dietary choices. In January 2003, as part of this initiative, the European Commission consulted member states and stakeholders on the application of the current Directive 90/496/EEC on nutrition labelling for foodstuffs, and requested comments on appropriate proposals for its amendment.

At the request of my Department, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, FSAI, requested the views of consumers, industry and retailers, enforcement agencies, and nutrition and health professionals regarding how the current nutrition legislation has worked in practice. A report was prepared based on the comments received and this was forwarded to the Commission.

The Commission is currently examining all the reports from member states on the proposed amendment to the labelling directive. A discussion document is due for circulation in June-July 2003, with a view to drafting a new legislative proposal by December 2003. I look forward to receiving the Commission's proposal which I am confident will address any current difficulties being experienced by the consumer with regard to nutrition labelling.