The European Commission has proposed revisions to the existing marketing standards for various agri-food products, such as fruit and vegetables, fruit juices and jams, honey, poultry, and eggs. These proposed revisions aim to help consumers make more informed choices for a healthier diet and contribute to preventing food waste.
Some of the proposals include clearer and mandatory origin labelling rules for certain products such as honey, nuts and dried fruits, ripened bananas, as well as trimmed, processed and cut fruit and vegetables. The country or countries of origin, in case of blends or mixes, will have to appear on the label to increase transparency for consumers and promote EU production of these products.
The proposed revisions also address food waste and packaging waste. For instance, so-called “ugly” fruit and vegetables, which have external defects but are still suitable for local/direct consumption, would be exempted from complying with marketing standards. This could offer consumers more opportunities to buy fresh fruit and vegetables at more affordable prices while benefitting producers active in short supply chains. Certain products affected by natural disasters or other exceptional circumstances may also be sold if safe to consume.
Other proposals include allowing the mention “with no added sugars” on fruit juice labels to clarify that fruit juices cannot, by definition, contain added sugars. Additionally, to address growing consumer demand for products with lower sugar content, a reformulated fruit juice would be allowed to indicate “reduced-sugar fruit juice” on its label. Jams will have increased fruit content of 450 grams minimum per kilo of finished product, and the term “marmalade” will be allowed for all jams to introduce the possibility to adjust the name of the product to the most used locally.
Solar panels may now be used in outdoor areas used in free-range production systems for eggs, stimulating greater supply of energy from renewable sources. The marking of eggs would also be done directly at the farm, improving traceability.
Overall, these proposed revisions aim to ensure that marketing standards contribute to the promotion and uptake of sustainable products while addressing new needs of consumers and operators. EU marketing standards are designed to ensure that the quality of the product stays high, that consumers are protected, and that standards are consistent within the EU market. They also facilitate trade with third countries as they are consistent with existing standards at the international level.