On the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directives 2001/110/EC relating to honey, 2001/112/EC relating to fruit juices and certain similar products intended for human consumption, 2001/113/EC relating to fruit jams, jellies and marmalades and sweetened chestnut purée intended for human consumption, and 2001/114/EC relating to certain partly or wholly dehydrated preserved milk for human consumption

Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development · Rapporteur: Emmanouil Fragkos

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SHORT JUSTIFICATION

The so-called ‘Breakfast Directives’ are a set of seven Directives that lay down common rules on the composition, sales name, labelling, packaging and overall constitution of certain foodstuffs so as to ensure it is possible to protect the interests of consumers and the free movement of these products within the single European internal market.

The existing Breakfast Directives have been in force for more than two decades. In the meantime, the markets for foodstuffs have evolved significantly, mainly through innovation in production, but also due to changes in social needs, food preferences and consumer demand. These developments make it imperative to undertake a revision of the Directives now, both to support the European trend for healthier diets and to aid producers by ensuring transparency of foodstuffs as part of the Farm to Fork strategy.

The ‘Breakfast Directives’ cover products that are important for European agricultural production, which support the incomes of residents and maintain a delicate balance in remote European regions.

A typical example of a product is honey: it has been present for thousands of years on European markets but is now, unfortunately, having to deal with particular challenges and threats. European beekeepers need support in order to continue to produce in the European countryside and European consumers need information and protection, so that they can enjoy a healthy breakfast, avoiding the sweeteners produced by international interests and imported into our markets.

Packaging and labelling play a fundamental role in ensuring that competition is fair and that products comply with EU legislation. For honey, in particular, the absence of labelling concerning the production and processing methods of honey has a detrimental impact on European producers and misleads consumers with regard to the product’s nutritional value and quality.

In March 2023, the European Anti-Fraud Office issued a report concluding that 46% of honey imported from non-EU countries into the European market was suspected of being non-compliant with EU legislation. This finding alone gives an idea of the unfair competition conditions facing European honey producers. It is necessary to strengthen traceability and intensive border controls in order to prevent fraud and protect consumers. The blends of honey that are currently permitted throughout the European Union must be rigorously checked and the label must state all the individual Member States and, in particular, non-Member States from which the honey comes.

We must make it clear in the European market that consumers have the final choice. Companies importing foreign honey, as well as retailers, should conform to European rules and should only sell beekeeping products that satisfy the definition of honey as set out in the Codex Alimentarius.

Blends of honey will be permitted, but the final consumer will have a choice. The aim is to ensure that consumers can make informed choices and to curb fraud. For example, we will know that we are consuming honey that is both rigorously checked at the borders for its quality and has packaging stating its origin and whether it is a blend with European honey (e.g. honey from China constituting more than 50%).

Today we, as the European Parliament, must impose strict rules and must properly support apiculture. We must not be content with the ‘fine words’ of the resolution of 2018. Although MEPs asked the European Commission to take specific actions, five years have passed and we have not seen any tangible results. Now is the time to take action!

With regard to jams and fruit juices, our aim must be to increase the fruit content and reduce the sugar content. This can be achieved by promoting research in food technology and innovation in production, in order to reduce chemical processing and the use of preservatives in fruit. We must be very clear in our aim to reduce sugar, while at the same time preserving the properties of natural products and enriching them with ingredients that promote health.

The current revision must ensure that the countries with which we sign trade agreements will have a binding obligation to reduce the use of pesticides and herbicides and to speed up their efforts to harmonise with EU standards. For example, it is very common for imports of Turkish fruit and vegetables to be rejected because of pesticides. There is no room for making exceptions on the grounds that the fruit is destined to be made into jam.

AMENDMENTS

The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development calls on the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, as the committee responsible, to take the following into account:

Amendment 1

Proposal for a directive

Recital 2

Text proposed by the Commission

Amendment

(2) Council Directive 2001/110/EC20 lays down definitions, names, common rules on composition and labelling requirements for honey.

(2) Council Directive 2001/110/EC20 lays down definitions, names, common rules on composition and labelling requirements for honey and, pursuant to the Resolution of 1 March 2018 on prospects and challenges for the EU apiculture sector (2017/2115(INI)), the European Parliament confirms the definition of ‘honey’.

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20 Council Directive 2001/110/EC of 20 December 2001 relating to honey (OJ L 10, 12.1.2002, p. 47).

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Amendment 2

Proposal for a directive

Recital 3

Text proposed by the Commission

Amendment

(3) In light of the close link between the quality of honey and its origin and the need for the consumer not to be misled regarding the quality of the product, Directive 2001/110/EC lays down rules on the labelling of the origin where the honey has been harvested. In particular, Article 2(4) of that Directive requires the country or countries of origin where the honey has been harvested to be indicated on the label and provides that, if honey originates in more than one Member State or third country, the mandatory indication of the countries of origin may be replaced by one of the following, as appropriate: ‘blend of EU honeys’, ‘blend of non-EU honeys’, ‘blend of EU and non-EU honeys’. The different rules adopted on this basis by Member States may have misled consumers and may have hindered the functioning of the internal market. In the light of the Farm to Fork Strategy’s objective of strengthening consumers in making informed choices, including on the origin of their food, and in the interest to preserve the efficient functioning of the internal market throughout the Union through a harmonisation of the labelling rules, it is appropriate to revise the rules for honey origin labelling and provide that the country or countries of origin should be mentioned on the packaging. In light of the reduced size of the packs containing only a single portion of honey (breakfast packs) and the resulting technical difficulties, it is therefore appropriate to exempt those packs from the obligation of listing all individual countries of origin, where the honey originates in more than one country.

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