Measures against 'inferior' food

brussels - Manufacturers are prohibited from offering food with the same packaging in different EU countries but with a significantly different composition. To this end, the European Commission will adjust the legislation, following complaints from mainly Central and Eastern Europe about 'food apartheid'.

Coffee with the same label that contains less caffeine in one country than in another, differences in the fish content in fish fingers, the amount of cocoa in chocolate spread and sugar in iced tea, must become a thing of the past, according to the daily EU administration.

Producers are allowed to adapt foodstuffs to the local taste preferences, but if they have a substantially different composition and the marketing and packaging remain the same, it can be misleading and unfair.

Consumers must be treated equally everywhere, according to the committee. President Juncker said last year that there should be no second-rate consumers in the EU, referring to the marketing of products of the same brand and with the same packaging, but with lower quality.

The commission has already produced a guide that allows national supervisors to verify whether EU legislation is being violated. 1 million euros has been made available for comparative tests. The same amount has been made available for studies and enforcement actions.

The extent of the phenomenon is unclear. The research center of the commission, with the support of more than half of the member states, will carry out tests from next month. Results are expected at the end of this year.

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