UK: No control over COOL
The UK government has said that its hands are tied over introducing country of origin labelling on food packaging due to existing European directives and packaging legislation.
Farming minister Jane Kennedy said in a House of Commons debate that the government had stopped previous proposals because it had been “constrained on the position it could take independently”.
More freedom for labelling
“We are working very hard in Europe in a new directive that will give countries much more freedom to introduce the kind of labelling that Conservative MP James Paice is talking about,” said Kennedy.
Reports state that Paice asked the government to “demand compulsory, honest country of origin labelling on all our food”.
In September, the Conservatives published a Bill wanting more information on packs about the origin of ingredients and the standards used in production.
FSA publishes guidelines for COOL
The Food Standards Agency has published an updated its guidance document for country of origin labelling.
