The move came at a joint meeting of the High Level Group on Nutrition and Physical Activity and the EU Platform for action on diet, physical activity and health -
Copa-Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen said “The EU has already rejected a colour-coded system for labels on food and beverage products, known as “traffic light” labels, as it would mislead consumers some years ago. We oppose this initiative as colour coding labelling systems only focus on certain nutrients, which limits and ignores the overall nutritional contribution of agricultural products to our diet”.
Agricultural products are an essential source of different nutrients needed for good health and they are much more than just energy, salt, sugar or fat. They include many different vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B7, B12, C, D, E, K, folate), fibre, essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, and minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, selenium or zinc, etc.
“All agricultural produce features in dietary recommendations and they are vital as part of a balanced diet. We wonder whether other products can claim the same”, Chairwoman of Copa and Cogecas Foodstuffs Working Party Annette Toft said.
“EU farmers and their cooperatives want to help consumers to know more about food and how to have a balanced diet. Help us to put an end to misleading information or unnecessary confusion caused by these systems”, she concluded.