The FSA issued a brief report of an event organised by them and the Dutch Government in Rotterdam on 15 and 16 February to debate the future of food labelling. Representatives from food manufacturing, retail, consumer groups and small business had the opportunity to discuss some of the key issues with policy makers from 23 European Member States and the European Commission. Possible developments that were discussed included: Standardisation of the way information is provided to help consumers navigate labels; The use of logos to address problems caused by multi lingual labels; Simplifying nutrition labelling to provide information that is both understandable and of use to consumers; and The provision of information off-label. The European Commission is expected to issue a discussion document very shortly on future labelling controls, with formal proposals expected in 2007.
