Brussels battle over ready meal rules - 2010-06-10

Labour members of the European Parliament have launched a last ditch effort to prevent a PR push by food industry lobbyists from stopping shoppers from getting honest, upfront information about their food.
 
Next Wednesday MEPs are set to vote on food labelling rules, including the question of whether "traffic light labels" should be used on the front of packs for ready meals, processed convenience foods and many soft drinks.
 
If successful it would mean that these foods would need to show a sequence of red, amber or green indications so that people can quickly see how much salt, fat and sugar an item contains.
 
The British Heart Foundation, consumer body Which? and the British Medical Association have supported the scheme but the idea is being fiercely resisted by food manufacturers, who have spent the last few months on a major charm offensive to try and block MEPs' proposals.
 
Glenis Willmott MEP, Labour's spokesperson in the European Parliament on health, has been campaigning for more honest food labelling since the Commission first proposed to change EU rules two years ago. She said:
 
"This is about giving shoppers the right to make an informed choice about what they're buying, but it's clear that most food manufacturers don't want people to know what's really in their food.
 
"If we're serious about tackling obesity and heart disease, people need to know how much sugar, salt and fat is in the food they eat. But with products like ready meals and pre-packed sandwiches, the only real way of getting the facts is by checking the label - so there has to be a quick and easy way for people to interpret all that information."
 
Traffic light labels are already used by many suppliers and have the backing of big supermarket chains, including Asda, the Co-op, Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury's.
 
Amendments in support of a traffic light scheme were narrowly defeated at committee stage, but they have been retabled by Glenis Willmott so they can be considered by the whole parliament.
 
She is concerned the campaign for this kind of upfront information is being undermined by false claims that are circulating the European Parliament, in particular claims that the rules would apply to things like cheese and fruit juices, which wouldn't be covered by the traffic light proposals.
 
The rumours come against a background of intense lobbying by the food manufacturing industry.
 
Glenis, who is also the leader of the Labour MEPs, added: "I believe that we have a crucial opportunity to give consumers real power.
 
"But some food manufacturers are spreading misinformation in an attempt to block the traffic light scheme. They've poured enormous amounts of money, time and effort into challenging these and other ideas that would give consumers a better understanding of what's in their food.
 
"To be frank, they don't want to see traffic light labels because they don't want this kind of information in such an easy to understand format. They prefer complex labels that make it far harder for shoppers to really understand what's going in their basket."

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