October 26, 2010

EU to probe consumer mistrust in meat market

Authorities will launch an in-depth probe into the European meat market after it scored poorly in a survey on consumer trust, the European Commission said Friday (Oct 22).

Around 100,000 people were surveyed across the 27-nation EU plus Norway on 50 key consumer goods and services in the world's biggest free trade area.

Meat was one of the components in the goods market that had the lowest scores.

The EU's executive arm said it would launch year-long market studies to investigate why meat scored so poorly and then propose measures to fix problems.

The study on the meat market will look at pricing, food security, the environment and animal well-being, the commission said.

"The great promise of the single market is what it can deliver for consumers in terms of lower prices, greater choice, transparency and satisfaction," said EU health and consumer policy commissioner John Dalli.