Farm to Fork Strategy and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan: Commission launches public consultation to revise Food Information to Consumers

Today, as part of its Farm to Fork Strategy and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, the Commission is launching a public consultation on the revision of the Food Information to Consumers (FIC) legislation. The aim is to overhaul the EU’s legislation and to submit, by the end of 2022, a legislative proposal to the European Parliament and the Member States. The four areas concerned by the revision are Front of Pack nutrition labelling/Nutrient profiling, Origin labelling, Date marking and Alcoholic beverage labelling. Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said: “The role of consumers and the choices they make are crucial in catalysing the shift to healthier and more sustainable food products. The clearer the labelling is, the easier it is to empower consumers to make informed, healthy, and sustainable food choices, an objective at the core of our Farm to Fork Strategy and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. Clearer labelling is also what will help us reduce food waste and strengthen the sustainability of the food chain. Consumers have been requesting for many years to have clear and complete information on the food they are buying, including when it comes to its origin. I call for a wide participation in this consultation to support us to present a proposal that is as ambitious as possible and shape a sustainable food system that works for producers and consumers. Our aim is to ensure that citizens always come first.” The public consultationwhich will run for 12 weeks, until 7 March 2022, is expected to gather the views from both the general public and professional and non-professional stakeholders. It will contribute to the evidence that will support the impact assessment for the revision of the FIC Regulation. Additional consultation activities are already foreseen, including targeted surveys and interviews with stakeholders’ organisations and Member States’ authorities, to gather more detailed and technical information.