Labels also must be made easier to understand, so as to enable consumers to make informed choices. However, the committee voted against imposing EU-wide use of a “traffic light” system to show important nutrient amounts.

The draft legislation aims to modernise, simplify and clarify food labelling within the European Union. It would make minor changes to existing rules on information that is compulsory on all labels, such as name, list of ingredients, “best before” or “use by” date, specific conditions of use, and add a requirement to list key nutritional information. The committee added that showing the country of origin should also be mandatory in some cases.