Rapport Etude DGAL CLCV 2006 synthese anglaise

CLCV FRENCH REPUBLIC [French Consumer Defence Association] MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES STUDY OF NUTRITION LABELLING REQUIREMENTS IN RELATION TO NUTRITION POLICY SUMMARY September 2006 1/12 Introduction and issues One of the recitals of the European directive on nutrition labelling notes that “there is growing public interest in the relationship between diet and health and in the choice of an appropriate diet for individual needs”. It is also stated that “knowledge of the basic principles of nutrition and appropriate nutrition labelling of foodstuffs would contribute significantly towards enabling the consumer to make this choice”. In France as elsewhere in Europe, nutrition-related public health issues have assumed increasing importance in recent years. Against this background, it has become a legal requirement for nutrition labelling to perform a consumer information function. In particular, labels must make it easier for consumers to take account of nutrition and health concerns when choosing food. Unfortunately, however, this objective has manifestly not so far been achieved. Nutrition labelling still uses highly technical language and the complexity of the information given is further compounded by the multiplicity of different formats and underlying logical systems. Yet the last few months have witnessed the beginning of a debate at both ...