The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament successfully led campaigns to introduce mandatory country of origin labelling for beef, and then for fresh pig, sheep, goat and poultry in the EU Food Information Regulation. Now the S&D Group is pushing for this regulation to be extended to meat in processed food as well as to milk and dairy products.
The S&D demands were backed by the all-party environment and health committee in the Parliament and will be voted on in the plenary tomorrow.
S&D spokesperson on food labelling, Glenis Willmott MEP, said:
"This is something that S&D MEPs have been campaigning on for a long time.
"We know it's important to consumers: 90% say they think processed meat should be labelled with the country of origin and 84% would like this labelling for milk.
"It's about clear, honest labelling that doesn't mislead consumers. At the moment, food producers can include this information voluntarily but the variety of different schemes can be confusing.
"But it's also about enabling consumers to make informed decisions about where their food has come from, whether that's for environmental reasons or out of concern for animal welfare."
S&D spokesperson on health and food safety, Matthias Groote MEP, said:
"Member states are reluctant to improve our labelling system. However, we need to restore customers' trust in the food and dairy sector. Knowing where food comes from is key to this process.
"Voluntary labelling schemes have proven to be insufficient, sometimes even to mislead consumers. It is therefore important that the Commission comes forward with legislative proposals harmonising labelling rules for processed foods.
"We expect the European Commission to listen to what this Parliament and citizens are asking for and to propose an extension of mandatory country of origin labelling to all meat in processed food. It is time for the EU to follow what its citizens want."
