European Union calls for revised food labeling of poultry, meat products

Environmental Committee draft legislation, voted on at the second reading by the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee, aims to modernize, simplify and clarify food labeling within the EU.

Food labels for poultry and meat should include the “date of first freezing," "country of provenance" and where an animal was born, reared and slaughtered, according to European Union Environment Committee members of Parliament. In addition, meat from slaughter without stunning should be labeled as such and meat consisting of combined meat parts should be labeled "formed meat." 
Committee-amended draft legislation, voted on at the second reading by the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee, aims to modernize, simplify and clarify food labeling within the EU, according to committee members. It would change existing rules on information that is compulsory on all labels, such as name, list of ingredients, “best before” or “use by” dates and specific conditions of use, and would add a requirement to list key nutritional information. 
The committee approved its proposals, giving a strong mandate to achieve a second-reading agreement with Council ahead of Parliament’s plenary vote in July. Once the legislation is adopted, food businesses will have three years to adapt to the rules. They will have two more years after that to apply the rules on the nutritional declaration.