Brussels, 13/04/2016 (Agence Europe) - The European Consumer Union Bureau (BEUC) is extremely disappointed with the vote at the European Parliament on the European Commission's REFIT programme which under the cover of simplifying legislation, has sounded the death knell for nutritional profiles before they were even born.
'This vote sadly allows unhealthy food to keep bearing healthy messages. We deeply regret that the EU Parliament chose to stand by the food industry and let down consumers,' commented BEUC on Tuesday 12 April after a vote in Strasbourg on the programme for smarter, high-performance legislation.
Although the EU's 2006 regulation on health and nutritional claims (Regulation 1924/2006 amended by Regulation 109/2008/EC) foresaw the establishment of nutritional profiles, they have never seen the light of day due to resistance from industry (see EUROPE 11407 and 11106).
BEUC has been fighting for years to ensure consumers are properly informed of the nutritional value of food so that they can make healthy and informed food choices, and urged the MEPs to be vigilant. In vain.
“We have a law in place to boost consumer information about what they eat. But as long as nutrient profiles sit in drawers, this law's potential to properly inform consumers will remain untapped. If we want sweets, chocolate bars and doughnuts bare from unscientific praise, these profiles are an essential condition”, said Ilaria Passarani, head of the Food and Health Department at BEUC, adding: 'At a time when one in three European children is either obese or overweight, it is unacceptable to question the very concept of nutritional profiles.' (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)