Brussels, 20/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 19 May, the Dutch and Swedish delegations drew the Agriculture Council's attention to the problem of food losses and waste in Europe. Many of the agriculture ministers supported the idea of extending the list of food products with a long shelflife which enjoy a derogation to the obligation for a “best before” date on the label. The idea is that several products already subject to this labelling, such as rice, pasta or coffee, could be dispensed from this requirement, as sugar and vinegar currently are.
This initiative, which already has the support of the German, Austrian, Danish and Luxembourg delegations, received the blessing of other ministers, such as those of Spain, France, Sweden, Slovenia, Cyprus, Hungary, Belgium and Bulgaria. The most reluctant to accept the idea of relaxing the rules on the “best before” date were Italy (which argue that neither the quality nor the safety of products should be compromised), Slovakia, Croatia and the Czech Republic.
Commissioner for Health,Tonio Borg referred to a study by the Commission which shows that 50% of consumers are confused about “best before” dates, which is the cause of 20% of avoidable domestic food waste.
The “best before” label has “nothing to do with health, but with the quality (of the product), which I feel consumers are able to judge for themselves”, stressed the Dutch agriculture minister, Sharon Dijksma, who is behind the initiative together with Sweden, upon her arrival at the meeting.
The Commission has proposed creating a working group to revise the list of products and identify other European rules which may lead to waste. According to the representative, Christian Schmidt, the first measures could be taken by the end of 2015. “If we do nothing to prevent food waste, it is expected to grow in the EU from 90 million tonnes to 126 million tonnes per year by 2020”, Borg stressed. Food waste will also be the subject of a communication on sustainable food which the European Commissioners are expected to adopt this June. (LC)