Are you ready for the changes in the ‘Breakfast Directives’?

Food business operators involved in manufacturing honey, fruit juices, marmalade, and fruit jams are advised to remain vigilant of the ongoing changes and discussions to the revised 'Breakfast Directives', initially proposed in 2023. The revisions aim to modernize outdated standards, some of which are over two decades old, empowering consumers to make informed choices regarding products such as honey, fruit juice, jam, and marmalades.

On April 10, 2024, the European Parliament approved new regulations regarding the composition, naming, labelling, and presentation of certain ‘breakfast’ foodstuffs.

Specifically, the manufacturers of these agri-commodities must take note of the following changes:

• Mandatory display of more detailed country of origin information on honey coming from non-EU countries. For example, if the honey comes from multiple countries, the label must prominently display each country and its percentage by weight, listed in descending order of contribution
• A requirement to be able to trace back the origin of honey to the harvesting producer or importer
• Creation of new categories of ‘reduced sugar fruit juice’ to enable healthier fruit juice options. These will have to have at least 30% less sugar
• A requirement that manufactures of jam must ensure their ‘jams’ have a fruit content of at least 450 grams per kilogram and ‘extra jams’ at least 500
• Member States will be allowed to authorise the term 'marmalade' to describe fruit jams, with the condition that local traditions are respected. Currently the term ‘marmalade’ is exclusively reserved for citrus jams

These rules must now be adopted by the Council, before being published in the EU Official Journal and entering into force 20 days later. EU Member States will be required to implement the new rules within two years of their entry into force.

For comprehensive assistance in the proposed rules of the revised Breakfast Directives, as well as label compliance, for the products covered in the Directive or any other food product, please get in touch at [email protected]. Leatherhead’s experienced team of scientists and regulatory experts can support you every step of the way. Leatherhead Food Research Members are kept up to date with changing regulations through the weekly Global Legal Highlights newsletter. To learn more, get in touch with our membership team at [email protected].