The future of EU nutrition labelling

The 'Farm to Fork' strategy - one of the Green Deal’s building blocks - puts forward several actions that cover all steps from food production to consumption. Among others, actions to support food consumption include helping consumers in making informed food choices for healthy and sustainable diets, via labelling rules.

In October 2021, the European Parliament adopted an own initiative report on this Farm to Fork Strategy in order to influence the upcoming proposal from the European Commission (expected by end of 2022). This report also highlighted the importance of having a practical and harmonised system for a European-wide front-of-pack nutrition labelling.

There seems wide agreement that an EU front-of-pack nutritional label should be developed based on robust, independent scientific evidence and demonstrated consumer understanding with open access for all market operators including small and medium-sized operators, while taking into account the additional burden to food operators and unions.

At the same time, there are still many open questions and challenges:

• What are the best practices already existing in some Member States?
• Should a single scheme be introduced throughout the internal market?
• Could such a scheme endanger traditional products and diets?
• How would a nutrition label have to work in order to effectively advise consumers to help them making healthier choices of products?
• How could we gather the different tools to provide more information to consumers, not just on nutritional aspects but also on origin of ingredients, animal welfare and sustainability and/or healthiness of products;

The focus of the webinar will be to address these questions, with experts from the Commission and EFSA and various stakeholders.

EVENT AGENDA

10.00 - 10.20 Opening session

Welcome & introductory remarks

• Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Renew Europe MEP in AGRI committee

and

• Véronique TRILLET-LENOIR, Renew Europe MEP in ENVI Committee

• Sabine PELSSER, Deputy Director General for food sustainability in DG Santé

10.20 - 10.50 Panel I - United in diversity: Nutrition labelling schemes in the EU: challenges and way forward

*Chaired by Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, with:

• Sara LAMONACA, Senior Manager Consumer Information at Food Drink Europe
• Luis CALABOZO, FENIL, Spanish Dairy association

10.50-11.00 Questions from the audience

11.00-11.30 Panel II Tools for healthier eating: how to better inform consumers via comprehensible and comparable nutrition labelling

*Chaired by Véronique Trillet-Lenoir, with:

• Camille PERRIN, Senior Food Policy Officer, BEUC (The European Consumer Organisation)
• Dr. Alfonso SIANI, Chair of the EFSA’s WG and NDA panel member (Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens)

11.30 - 11.50 Debate and questions from the audience

11.50 -12.00 Closing session and conclusions

• Ulrike MÜLLER, Renew Europe MEP, AGRI coordinator

and

• Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Renew Europe MEP in AGRI committee
• Véronique TRILLET-LENOIR, Renew Europe MEP in ENVI Committee