Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 May 2026
475. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps his Department is taking to ensure that food labelling regulations accurately reflect the country of origin for meat, dairy and other agricultural products sold in Ireland; whether any review of labelling standards has been undertaken or is planned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41405/26]
View answerMy colleague, the Minister for Health has overall responsibility for the general food labelling legislation. However, my Department plays a role in the enforcement of this legislation under service contract to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.
The overarching legislative framework for food information to consumers is Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the provision of food information to consumers (FIC). Under this EU Regulation, the general rule is that the indication of the country of origin or place of provenance is mandatory where failure to indicate this might mislead the consumer as to the true country of origin or place of provenance of the food.
Article 26(3) of the EU FIC Regulation provides that where the country of origin or the place of provenance of a food is given and where it is not the same as that of its primary ingredient, the country of origin or place of provenance of the primary ingredient in question shall also be given. This Article aims at preventing misleading food information which implies a certain origin of a food, when in fact its true origin is different. The rules for indicating the country of origin or place of provenance of the primary ingredient of a food are set out in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/775.
In addition, country of origin labelling is mandatory within the EU for fresh, chilled and frozen meat of swine, sheep or goats and poultry and for beef and beef products.
