Extent of mandatory food labelling in the balance

The European Commission's original proposals on food labelling envisage mandatory food labelling for all non pre-packed freshly-made food. The scope of mandatory food labelling is rather extensive with a requirement for a full list of ingredients and weight quantity, along with a declaration on the nutrition values linked to the food being served.

The European Parliament is advocating an exemption from mandatory EU labelling requirements to exclude non pre-packed food from the scope of the Commission Regulation. The exception to this rule would be the provision of mandatory information on allergens, which would be made available to customers through visual displays in catering establishments or through an information request lodged with the staff manning such business operations.

The Maltese hospitality industry welcomed the Parliament's recommendations. The Malta Business Bureau believes that the original wording of the Commission proposals would have been unworkable and impractical given that the vast majority of Malta's catering establishments employ less than 10 staff members, often on a part-time and rotational-shift basis.

The MBB feels there is scope for improvements to the legislative text, by granting an exemption on labelling requirements to "food chains serving standardised food". This should be complemented by greater legal clarity in the draft EU legislative text since there is as yet no effective explanation of the definition of "food chains" as well as the definition of "standardised food". A critical issue from a local business perspective is ensuring that labelling on food items is carried in the language utilised by the final consumers as legally required for market surveillance purposes.