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.

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“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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