Strengthening consumer information obligations for the “breakfast directives”

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food , Luis Planas, has expressed his satisfaction with the agreement recently reached by the European Commission, Parliament and Council of the European Union, the so-called “trilogues”, to reinforce the obligations of information to the consumer on honey, fruit juices and nectars, fruit jams and dehydrated milk , through a series of regulations that make up the so-called “ breakfast directives ”. The agreement reached must be ratified by the Special Committee on Agriculture, at its meeting on 12 February.

The aim of this agreement is to update certain EU marketing standards to adapt to changes and technological advances in different sectors, as well as to new demands from society regarding information, composition and quality of these products. In addition, this initiative aims to encourage a shift to healthier diets and allow consumers to have more detailed information on the composition, sales names, labelling and presentation of these products, with the aim of guaranteeing their free circulation in the internal market and helping citizens to make better purchasing choices.

As regards honey, the Minister stressed that “the new regulations will make it easier for consumers to have more precise information on the origin and composition of honey , which will contribute to improving the transparency of the honey chain and reducing fraud”. It is a great success that benefits the beekeeping sector . The new regulations will include three new categories of juice: fruit juice with reduced sugar, fruit juice with reduced sugar from concentrate and concentrated fruit juice with reduced sugar. The minimum fruit content in jams will also be increased (from 350 to 450 grams per kilo) and in extra jams (from 450 to 500 grams per kilo).

The European Parliament approved the agreement in April 2024. The new legislation comes into force 20 days after its formal adoption. EU countries have to implement the new rules within two years.

You can consult the complete note from the Ministry here