EU rules on food information to consumers

To further promote the health of European consumers, their right not to be misled and to make informed choices when purchasing foods and beverages, as well as the fairness of commercial practices and competition, the European Union regulatory system on information to consumers on food and beverages is rapidly evolving. This evolution goes in the direction of a system in which more mandatory regulated information will be provided to consumers, more modern and simpler rules will apply to operators and it will be easier and faster to adapt these rules to technological and societal developments. In this context, voluntary information is being more strictly regulated in order to better ensure its scientific validity and usefulness for consumers. This paper highlights some of the main current trends and priority issues of this substantial and important evolution likely to continue for some years.