Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 421: To ask the Minister for Health and Children his plans to update the system of food labelling currently in use here to display clearly when products reach their use by date as opposed to only the best before date in view of the fact that the best before date is simply a guide to food quality as opposed to food safety; and if he will commit to issuing guidelines to retailers to highlight this difference. [12445/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The labelling of prepackaged food is currently governed by Council Directive 2000/13/EC, transposed in 2002, with several amendments since. The principle underlying this Directive is that the purchaser must not be misled and it has helped to ensure that the consumer is provided with the information required to make healthy consumption choices.

These regulations include a provision which requires that prepackaged foods carry a date of minimum durability on the label. The date of minimum durability is defined as the date until which a foodstuff retains its specific properties when properly stored. The current rules on date of minimum durability permit the Food Business Operator to use either a 'best-before' date (the date up until which the foodstuff can reasonably be expected to retain its optimum condition) or a 'use-by' date (the date on which perishable foods are likely to constitute an immediate danger to human health).

In January 2008, the European Commission presented a proposed Regulation aimed at updating and harmonising existing labelling legislation. The proposal is primarily about providing consumers with improved information on such areas as Country of Origin, Allergens and Nutrition Labelling.

This Department submitted a position paper to the commission in 2008 and, since then, has contributed to EU Working Group meetings, ensuring that the Irish position is taken into account. The European Parliament and the Council completed their first readings during 2010. A second reading will be voted on the 4-7 July this year by the European Parliament.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland highlighted the rules regarding "minimum durability" dates in guidelines published in 2003. These guidelines on general labelling have been updated on a ongoing basis (most recently in 2010). The Authority will issue updated guidelines to all Food Business Operators of any further changes to labelling legislation. It is likely that the rules in the proposed EU Labelling Regulation regarding "minimum durability" will remain similar to those in Directive 2000/13/EC.