September 19, 2013

European Commission will not ban Union Flag on British meat products

The European Commission has denied reports on planning to introduce new rules over country of origin labelling on preventing the use of member state flags on packaging.

"European Commission (EC) proposals on the labelling of pre-packaged fresh meat from sheep, goats, poultry and pigs will not prevent the use of the Union Jack or of other EU member state flags," said the commission in a statement.

The use of additional geographical labels such as Welsh or Scottish will not be prevented and use of private logos such as the Red Tractor logo will still be allowed, according to the EC.

However, the commission added that it was looking to introduce clearer labelling of member state origin that would make sure "when customers buy meat labelled as British they know it really is British and not, for example, just imported for slaughter and will be done without placing unnecessary burdens on producers and retailers.

Current discussions in Brussels were focused on "compulsory rules" for labelling of pre-packaged fresh meat, including the clearer specification of member state of origin.

The commission said that the use of flags and private logos is a different issue and will be covered under separate proposed rules on voluntary labels.

This is because - while the commission has no intention of banning flags and other logos on pre-packaged meat - it does not intend either to propose making them compulsory.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said it would challenge any EU proposals on origin of food labelling that were "bad for UK businesses and carry no meaningful benefits for shoppers".

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said food labelling was an "emotive issue" and one of "great importance to UK retailers". Its main priority areas in labelling are nutrition labelling and, particularly, the way in which this appears on the front of packs and country of origin labelling.

Both of these issues, among others, are being reviewed in Europe under the proposed Regulation on Consumer Information.