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The European Commission (EC) has proposed amendments to Regulation 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers as part of theFarm-to-Fork strategyand the European Cancer Control Plan. These changes include a proposal for harmonized mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labeling, a mandatory ingredient list and nutrition declaration for alcoholic beverages, and a possible expansion of mandatory origin or provenance indications. In addition, the EC also wants to explore new ways of providing food information to consumers.
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) has published four scientific studies on these topics. The EC will use these as input for a proposal to revise Regulation 1169/2011. This article lists the JRC's findings for the following topics:
Current EU rules allow the voluntary provision of front-of-pack nutrition information, also known as front-of-pack nutrition labeling. Several voluntary public and private schemes for front-of-pack nutrition labeling have been developed, such as NutrInforme, Nutri-Score and the Healthier Choice Checkmark. These schemes are applied to varying degrees. The EC wants to introduce harmonized mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labeling across the EU.
JRC research shows that consumers generally value front-of-pack nutrition labels as a quick and easy way to obtain nutrition information when making purchasing decisions. Less complex labels require less attention and time to process. Also, consumers generally seem to prefer simple, colorful and summary front-of-pack labels. Front-of-pack labeling can help consumers make healthier food choices. Moreover, it seems to encourage food manufacturers to improve the nutritional value of their products.
Alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content of more than 1.2% are currently exempt from the requirement to provide an ingredient list and a nutrition statement on the label. However, this information may be provided on a voluntary basis. The EC plans to make the ingredient list and nutritional values mandatory for alcoholic beverages as well. For wine products, this obligation already goes into effect December 8.
The JRC market analysis shows that the alcohol industry in the EU has already embraced the possibility of voluntary ingredient and nutrition information on alcoholic beverage labels. The beer industry in particular is leading the way by providing an ingredient declaration for about 90% of beers on the market. In 25 to 50% of cases, the energy value is also listed. As for ciders, perries and ready-to-drink products, ingredient information is provided for about half of the products and energy value for up to 40%. Information on ingredients or energy is less often found on spirits and very rarely on wine products. The use of label attributes, such as a QR code, that direct consumers to off-label ingredient and nutritional information is uncommon in the beverage industry as yet.
The JRC also conducted a literature review of the alternative sources of food information available on the market besides regular packaging labels. The research shows that online resources, such as QR codes or website links, are less effective in encouraging healthy behavior among consumers compared to resources that provide direct access to food information, such as menu labels, shelf labels and signs at point of sale. To influence consumer behavior, it is important that food information be readily visible without external aids such as a cell phone or computer. According to the JRC, further research is needed on the differences between food information via labels and digital means.
The EC may want to extend mandatory origin labeling to other foods, such as milk, rabbit and game, rice, durum wheat in pasta, potatoes and processed tomatoes. There is still discussion on whether origin should be indicated at EU/non-EU, national or regional level. For honey, the EC proposes mandatory labeling of all individual member states and third countries of origin.
The JRC conducted a literature review on the impact of food origin information on purchasing decisions and consumption. The study shows that both country of origin and place or region of origin information have significant impact on consumers' purchasing decisions. Consumers view origin information as an indication of high-quality and environmentally friendly food products. In addition, they like to support local or domestic farmers and businesses. Surveys show that consumers value provenance information. However, practical research shows that consumers may not focus as much on provenance information in the supermarket as they would like.
The JRC findings will feed into current and future food information policy making. In particular, they will be used as scientific underpinning for the ongoing revision of Regulation 1169/2011. In addition, the JRC findings will also support preparatory work for future EC legislative proposals, such as the Sustainable Food Systems Legislative Framework (FSFS) and the Sustainable Food Labeling Framework.
Although it was initially expected that the EC would decide on the proposal to revise Regulation 1169/2011 by the end of 2022, this has not happened to date. Précon continues to monitor developments closely.
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