HC Deb 24 February 2003 vol 400 cc362-3W
Mr. Greg Knight

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve food labelling; and if he will make a statement. [95549]

Ms Blears

[holding answer 13 February 2003]: The Food Standards Agency has adopted a wide-ranging action plan to tackle the issues consumers have identified as priorities for improving food labelling. The Agency is pressing for a number of important changes in European law; for example on country of origin labelling, nutrition. labelling and health claims. It is also working closely with stakeholders on a range of voluntary initiatives, including clearer labelling, appropriate use of claims like 'fresh', 'natural' and 'pure' and more extensive, clearer country of origin labelling.

Mr. Greg Knight

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will require food products which contain artificial sweeteners and display a label indicating that they are sugar free to display details of the artificial sweeteners in the same typeface as the sugar free declaration. [95550]

Ms Blears

[holding answer 13 February 2003]: Foods containing artificial sweeteners are required by law to be marked or labelled with the indication "with sweetener(s)" or "with sugar and sweetener(s)" as appropriate, if they carry a 'sugar free' claim. There is no requirement for this indication to be in any particular size or type of lettering, but it must be clearly legible.

Labelling rules are set at European Union level and are currently being reviewed by the European Commission. In the meantime, the Food Standards Agency is reviewing its labelling guidance and plans to advise that sweetener declarations should be given due emphasis.