Key nutritional information will have to be displayed on the front of all pre-packaged food across Europe under plans unveiled by the European Commission today.
The move is designed to simplify and clarify current confusing labelling laws which "bombard" shoppers with too much conflicting information, EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou told a press conference in Brussels.
If approved by EU ministers, today's proposal would require that the energy, fat, saturated fat and carbohydrates content of food per 100 milligrams or per portion are displayed clearly on the front of the packet.
The labelling would also have to include the proportion of those contents in relation to the recommended daily allowance of each one.
Mr Kyprianou said: "Food labels can have a huge influence on consumers' purchasing decisions. Confusing, overloaded or misleading labels can be more of a hindrance than a help to the consumer.
"Today's proposal aims to ensure that food labels carry the essential information in a clear and legible way, so that EU citizens are empowered to make balanced dietary choices."
He went on: "Consumers are bombarded with information on the food they buy, and the way this information is presented is becoming ever more varied and complex while the quality of food labels varies greatly from product to product and from one member state to another."
The most common complaint from shoppers about food labels is that they cannot find or read the information they want, according to the commission. Essential information is often very small or hidden by marketing slogans.
Today's proposal therefore sets out general principles on labelling which would have to be respected by industry - including a requirement that the label has a print size of at least 3mm, giving clear and accurate information.
Any additional voluntary information added by manufacturers should not detract from the compulsory nutritional information.
The commission said today it was simply setting out general requirements on how nutrition information should be displayed, leaving scope for each EU country to promote additional national schemes "provided they do not undermine the EU rules", explained one official.
The commission plan does however cover allergens, proposing that all food containing allergenic substances such as peanuts, milk, mustard or fish must be labelled, or the presence of the substance must be clearly indicated in some other way.
The plan extends to non pre-packed food, the current requirement for allergen labelling on packaged food. Under the new rules, if approved, unpackaged food and food served by restaurants will also have to indicate the presence of allergens.
PA