Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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306. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the European Commission hosted joint meeting on front-of-pack nutrition labelling on 22 June 2018; the response by his Department to the survey sent in the context of the REFIT evaluation of the nutrition and health claims regulation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28925/18]

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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The European Commission convened a joint meeting on front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labelling between the Working Group of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed in the context of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers (FIC) and the Advisory Group on the Food chain, Animal and Plant Health on 22June 2018 in Brussels.

The meeting mainly consisted of presentations on current FOP labelling schemes and some limited discussion on their usefulness. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) provided an update on the literature review of research regarding the development of FOP schemes and their impact on consumers.

Other presentations on consumer understanding and behaviour in regard to FOP schemes were given by the European Food Information Council (EUFIC), the Dutch consumer organisation, Professor Rayner, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford and Dr Chantal Julia, University of Paris. Italy presented a proposed development of a FOP label based on Reference Intakes with a ‘battery type’ graphic to indicate the contribution of the particular food product to Reference Intakes.

The European Commission’s minutes of the meeting will be made publicly available on the following website: .

Following the Better Regulation Communication of 19 May 2015, the Commission announced that, as part of its REFIT programme it would carry out an evaluation of the Nutrition and Health Claims (NHC) Regulation with regard to:

1. Nutrient profiles for determining whether products high in certain nutrients (in particular, salt, sugar and fat) can bear claims; and

2. Claims made on plants and their preparations, as well as the general regulatory framework for their use in foods.

The reason for the evaluation was that the aspects at 1 and 2 above had not been applied as foreseen in the NHC Regulation.

A study was commissioned to the Food Chain Evaluation Consortium (FCEC) in May 2016 and resulted in a survey of Member States in the form of a questionnaire comprising some 148 questions. A response to the survey was prepared by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI). Later, the Commission asked Member States to advise if there was any update concerning Front of Pack (FOP) nutrition labelling since the original survey questionnaire. Ireland has advised the Commission that there have been no new developments in this context since the survey was carried out.

The data from the survey across all Member States was to be analysed and presented in the form of a report to the Commission. It is my understanding that the report has not yet been finalised for circulation by the Commission. When circulated, the report will be examined.

I have asked the FSAI to provide the Deputy with a copy of the response to the survey questionnaire which was sent to the Commission (subject to FOI and Data Protection considerations).

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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307. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the development and publication of nutrient profiles to avoid misleading the public on the health claims of food products; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28926/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The establishment of nutrient profiles is foreseen in Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No. 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims, which states: “By 19 January 2009, the Commission shall, in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 24(2), establish specific nutrient profiles and the conditions, including exemptions, which shall be respected for the use of nutrition and health claims on foods and/or categories of foods”.

As Article 4 clearly makes provision for the establishment and implementation of nutrient profiles at EU level, a harmonised approach is the preferred solution. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has advised that in its opinion developing nutrient profiles at national level is not considered a practical approach given the nature and extent of the food supply in Ireland.

To date, this aspect of the Regulation remains incomplete. Following the Better Regulation Communication of 19 May 2015, the Commission announced that, as part of its REFIT programme, it would carry out an evaluation of the Nutrition and Health Claims (NHC) Regulation with regard to, inter alia, nutrient profiles for determining whether products high in certain nutrients (in particular, salt, sugar and fat) can bear claims.

A study was commissioned to the Food Chain Evaluation Consortium (FCEC) in May 2016 and Member States were subsequently surveyed. The data from the survey across all Member States was to be analysed and presented in the form of a report to the Commission. It is my understanding that the report has not yet been finalised for circulation by the Commission.