Press Release: Commission proposes a complete listing of food ingredients and allergens

The European Commission issued a proposal on 6 September 2001 for an amendment to the food labelling Directive which is intended to ensure that all consumers are informed of the complete contents of foodstuffs and to enable consumers with allergies to identify any allergenic ingredients that may be present. The proposal will abolish the '25% rule' which currently means that it is not obligatory to label the components of compound ingredients that make up less than 25% of the final food product. This proposal means that all ingredients intentionally added will have to be included on the label. The proposal will also establish a list of ingredients liable to cause allergies or intolerances and will include alcoholic beverages if they contain an ingredient on the allergen list.