Post-Brexit rules requiring foods to carry ‘not for EU’ labels spark confusion — and, in some cases, outright disgust — from UK shoppers.
A woman picks up a packet of “Ardennes-style pâté” before dropping it in disgust. “I’m throwing it out,” she tweets, adding, “We are now eating any old shit.”
Is the pâté past its sell-by date? In fact, the answer lies in a small, post-Brexit detail on the packaging.
New rules requiring foods to carry “not for EU” labels are already sparking confusion — and, in some cases, outright disgust — from U.K. shoppers, as experts warn the new policy risks leaving Brits in the dark and wrongly suggesting the items are produced to lower standards.
Since October last year, all meat and some dairy products moving from Great Britain to be sold in Northern Ireland have been required to carry the labels. The move, introduced as part of the Windsor Framework between the U.K. and EU, is meant to ensure goods aren’t moved onward into the Republic of Ireland, an EU member country.
From October 2024, all meat and dairy products sold across the U.K. will also have to carry the labels, to ensure food sold in Great Britain can also be sold in Northern Ireland. The requirement will be applied to more products from July 2025.
Although the U.K.-wide requirements are not implemented until later this year, some supermarkets in England appear to already be using the labeling system in preparation for the rollout, much to the confusion of shoppers, several of whom have taken to X, formerly Twitter, to share their consternation. ...
more at POLITICO
© POLITICO
Key
Hover over the blue highlighted
text to view the acronym meaning
Hover
over these icons for more information
Comments:
No Comments for this Article