Paula Butterly (Louth, Fine Gael)
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202. To ask the Minister for Health if she is aware of the large number of small retail shops selling unregulated food and drink products, particularly energy drinks, which are not labelled in English, and breaching EU regulations; if she will outline the enforcement actions in place, and that have been acted upon to address this issue; and if there are further plans in place to tackle this issue and protect from consumption, particularly by youths, of these unregulated products. [64098/25]

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Food labelling in the EU is governed by Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers (FIC), for which my Department has responsibility.

Article 15, of the FIC Regulation, Language requirements, states that “mandatory food information shall appear in a language easily understood by the consumers of the Member States where a food is marketed.” and “the Member States in which a food is marketed may stipulate that the particulars shall be given in one or more languages from among the official languages of the Union”

In Ireland, the language requirements of the FIC Regulation are given effect in S.I. No. 556/2014 – European Union (Provision of Food Information to Consumers) Regulations 2014 which provides for bilingual labelling. This S.I. provides food business operators (FBOs) the flexibility to offer mandatory food information in either (a) the English language, or (b) the Irish language and the English language.

Food business operators are responsible for ensuring that food that is placed on the market is compliant with all applicable food legislation.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is responsible for enforcement of food legislation in Ireland. Official controls on food retailers, large and small, are conducted by the HSE’s National Environmental Health Service under service contract to the FSAI

I have asked the HSE National Environmental Health Service to reply to the Deputy on the part of the question referring to enforcement actions as it is an operational matter.