display

Brussels (dpa) - Many consumers want more transparency in food - this is one of the reasons why Federal Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner has received a lot of encouragement for a corresponding push for more food labeling.

On Monday, she advocated at EU level that packaging of foods with eggs - such as mayonnaise, pasta or biscuits - must indicate the laying conditions from which the eggs came.

That is well received: in rare unity, environmental and animal rights activists, farmers' associations and politicians praised the initiative of the CDU politician.

The only criticism so far from the German-speaking area is that the initiative should have come much earlier.

display

Many EU countries also agree to the proposal - there is support from, among others, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Italy.

France also agreed to the project in principle - but also called for rules for imported food at a meeting of the EU agriculture ministers.

A harmonized approach is needed.

"Many consumers want transparent information," said Klöckner, explaining the initiative to her counterparts.

The labeling would provide an incentive for better animal husbandry.

There have already been some discussions on the subject with the responsible EU Commissioner Stella Kyriakides.

Accordingly, Germany asks to examine a corresponding legislative initiative.

Critical voices came from Eastern EU member states.

So it was said from Hungary that they do not support mandatory labeling, Bulgaria positioned itself similarly.

The ball now lies with the EU Commission: It has to decide whether to comply with Germany's request and initiate a legislative initiative.

display

A survey by the opinion research company Civey on behalf of the Forum Moderne Landwirtschaft (FML) came to the result in January that 83 percent of people in Germany are of the opinion that sustainable agriculture must go hand in hand with animal welfare.

Two thirds find it “modern” when farmers pay attention to animal welfare.

The spokesman for the food trade association (BVLH) told the German press agency that the large companies in the food retail sector in Germany were already using only egg products, organic, free-range or barn products in their own brands.

"That is also marked."

Associations and organizations responded positively to Klöckner's proposal.

"The German Farmers' Association has long been demanding mandatory husbandry and origin labeling," said the association.

Support the project.

However, this should not only be limited to eggs, but should also be extended to other goods - especially meat and sausage products.

display

A food expert from the environmental organization WWF, Tanja Dräger de Teran, said: "An EU-wide labeling requirement on foods containing eggs is overdue."

This could end the blind flight on the shopping shelf.

Currently, millions of people unknowingly bought caged and barn eggs that were found in processed foods.

The Green MEP and organic farmer Martin Häusling criticized the timing of the Klöckner initiative.

"That she realizes shortly before the end of your term of office that there is a loophole is astonishing," he said.

It could have started this when Germany took over the rotation of the Council of Ministers in mid-2020.

Häusling said a lot of caged liquid eggs are being imported into the EU.

This could be made more difficult if the initiative succeeds.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210426-99-361233 / 2