§ Mrs. Joyce Butlerasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has for regulations requiring date marking of perishable foods; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. StrangMy right hon. Friend has none at the present time. Although we have accepted the principle of a statutory system of open date marking, we consider it desirable, before taking any action, to try and reach agreement with our partners in the Community on a common system. Date marking is one of the subjects dealt with in a draft EEC directive on food labelling, now under active discussion. We intend to await the outcome of these discussions.