These are among the key findings of the evaluation support study on mandatory indication of country of origin labelling for certain meats published today by the European Commission.
This evaluation support study contributes to an overall evaluation of the regulation in place for mandatory indication of country of origin labelling for certain meats, which will be concluded with the publication of an evaluation report (Commission staff working document) early 2021.
The objective of the evaluation is to assess whether the rules on food information to consumers as regards the mandatory origin labelling for certain meats are: effective, efficient, coherent, relevant and bring EU added value in view of its objectives, current needs in the sector and any new problems which have emerged since implementation.
Background
The EU rules regarding the mandatory indication of country of origin labelling for certain meats apply to fresh, chilled and frozen meat of swine, sheep, goats and poultry. The basic obligations of the Regulation include:
- to indicate on the label of fresh and frozen meat of certain species the country of origin or place of provenance;
- to have in place at each stage of production and distribution of these meats an identification and registration system, which ensures:
- the link between the meat and the animal from which it is obtained;
- the transmission of the information related to the country of origin indications together with the meat.
