European consumer groups want food profiles on packaging

The European consumer organization BEUC and eleven of its members want the European Union to address food profiles on packaging, to help tackle misleading health claims.

Announced in 2006

Plenty of food packaging contain health claims, like when it indicates the product has a large amount of a particular healthy substance. Often, these are just unhealthy additions containing a lot of sugar and fat.

That is why the BEUC wants the introduction of food profiles, which were announced back in 2006, but never actually implemented. These profiles should inform the consumer about the food they are eating, regarding the benefits and the downsides.

EU is looking at alternatives

Fevia, the Belgian food industry’s federation, does not oppose food proviles, but wants a clear scientific basis for them. “We will need to have an open discussion, scientifically based, and not based on the prejudices regarding certain product categories. If that were to happen, these manufacturers will no longer be incentivized to innovate, because consumers will not buy it anyway”, Fevia spokesperson Nicholas Courant told HLN.

The EU is not that enthused: it is currently working on a revision of the EU guideline from 2006. “Only then can we decide whether the goal can be reached without food profiles or whether there are alternatives.”