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DRAFT REPORT (COM(2023)0201 – C9140/2023 – 2023/0105(COD))

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

ENVI-PR-752665

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety · Rapporteur: Alexander Bernhuber

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This is the rapporteur's draft report on the Commission proposal to amend the 'breakfast directives' on honey, fruit juices, jams and preserved milk. It proposes amendments to honey origin labelling, sugar-reduced juice claims, minimum fruit content in jams and jellies, and shorter transposition deadlines. For honey, the draft requires the countries of origin to be listed in descending order by weight share, with percentage ranges for packs over 30 g, ISO country codes for packs of 30 g or less, and no need to list residual origins if two countries cover at least 98%. For reduced-sugar fruit juice, the draft bans claims about health benefits, ingredients or nutritional value on the labelling. It also allows membrane filtration and yeast fermentation to remove naturally occurring sugars. The draft lowers the minimum fruit quantities for jams and jellies in Directive 2001/113/EC, and shortens the transposition period to nine months and the application date to 12 months after entry into force.

Committee position. The rapporteur welcomes the Commission proposal as an ambitious and balanced starting point. The rapporteur proposes a more ambitious approach to honey labelling, slightly lower minimum fruit quantities for jams and jellies, a ban on health claims for reduced-sugar juices, and a faster transposition timeline.

Key points

  1. For honey, the country or countries of origin must be indicated on the label in descending order according to each country's share in weight of the honey in the pack.
  2. For packs over 30 g, the percentage share in weight for each country must be shown using specified ranges: >90%, 70%-90%, 50%-70%, 30%-50%, 10%-30%, <10%.
  3. For packs of 30 g or less, the percentage share may be shown using ranges >75%, 50%-75%, 25%-50%, <25%.
  4. For packs of less than 30 g of blended honey from more than one country, each country of origin may be indicated using the ISO 3166 alpha-2 country code.
  5. If two countries together reflect at least 98% of the weight in the blend, the countries of origin for the residual quantities do not need to be indicated.
  6. Claims regarding positive properties such as health benefits, ingredients or nutritional value compared to other products must not be made on the labelling for reduced-sugar fruit juice or reduced-sugar fruit juice from concentrate.
  7. Processes to remove naturally occurring sugars from reduced-sugar fruit juice and reduced-sugar fruit juice from concentrate are limited to membrane filtration and yeast fermentation.
  8. Member States must adopt and publish laws to comply with the directive within nine months of its entry into force, and apply them from 12 months after entry into force.
  9. Products placed on the market or labelled before 18 months after entry into force may continue to be marketed until stocks are exhausted.
  10. The minimum fruit content for jams is lowered to 400 g as a general rule, 300 g for redcurrants, rowanberries, sea-buckthorns, blackcurrants, rosehips and quinces, 200 g for ginger, 200 g for cashew apples, and 70 g for passion fruit.
  11. The minimum fruit content for jellies is lowered to 500 g as a general rule, 400 g for redcurrants, rowanberries, sea-buckthorns, blackcurrants, rosehips and quinces, 300 g for ginger, 260 g for cashew apples, and 90 g for passion fruit.

Who is affected

  • Honey producers and packers must label origin in descending order by weight share, with percentage ranges or ISO codes for small packs.
  • Reduced-sugar fruit juice producers cannot make health, ingredient or nutritional claims on labelling and may only use membrane filtration and yeast fermentation to remove sugars.
  • Jam and jelly manufacturers must meet lower minimum fruit content requirements.
  • Member States must transpose the directive within nine months and apply it from 12 months after entry into force.

Figures and deadlines

  • 30 g: threshold for packs of honey above which percentage ranges apply and below which ISO codes may be used.
  • 98%: if two countries together reflect at least this share of the weight, residual origins need not be indicated.
  • nine months: transposition period for Member States to adopt and publish laws.
  • 12 months: date from which national provisions apply after entry into force.
  • 18 months: date before which products placed on the market or labelled may continue to be marketed until stocks are exhausted.
  • 400 g: general minimum fruit content for jams.
  • 300 g: minimum fruit content for jams made from redcurrants, rowanberries, sea-buckthorns, blackcurrants, rosehips and quinces.
  • 200 g: minimum fruit content for jams made from ginger and for jams made from cashew apples.

Legal basis: Article 294(2) and Article 43(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.