Changes to EU legislation next year will see new country-of-origin labels on food products, a spokesperson for the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has told the Irish Farmers Journal.

The changes will be in force from 1 April next year.

“We appreciate where consumers are coming from when it comes to country-of-origin labelling and acknowledge that the information on the label can seem misleading.

“These changes will give better clarity for consumers,” the spokesperson said.

Clarity

Under the new rules, where the country of origin or the place of provenance of a food is given and where it is not the same as that of the primary ingredient:

  • The country of origin or place of provenance of the primary ingredient in question must also be given; or
  • The country of origin or place of provenance of the primary ingredient must be indicated as being different to that of the food.

    • The European Commission is to produce guidance on these new rules for food businesses and the FSAI will share this guidance once it is published.

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