Regulators & industry representatives from across the EU wrapped up a meeting in Rotterdam debating standardised system for food labelling across the bloc. The debate indicates the way regulators are thinking about future labelling requirements & what industry can look forward to in changes in their packaging lines. Currently a variety of labelling systems exist in the 25 EU members, posing a barrier to inter-country trade & increasing packaging costs for companies. Possible solutions for the future were debated at the meeting, including standardisation of the way information is provided to aid consumers in navigating labels, the use of logos to address problems caused by multi-lingual labels, simplifying nutrition labelling to provide information that is both understandable & of use to consumers, & the provision of other information off the label. The two-day event, organised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) & the Dutch Ministry for Health, Welfare & Sport, was held as the European Commission continues its review of labelling legislation. The degree to which the current labelling regime meets consumer & industry requirements was questioned & there were calls for simplification and consolidation of existing EU legislation. The European Commission is due to issue a discussion document this year, with proposals expected in 2007
