New research reveals that the costs of labelling changes for the food and drink industry are “substantially greater” than European and UK legislators have previously estimated.
The report - conducted by Campden BRI and commissioned by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food &Rural Affairs) to help legislators more accurately evaluate the costs and benefits of food labelling changes – was published as the Council of the EU reached a political agreement over proposed food labelling changes in the Food Information Regulation.
Its authors conclude that the reported costs of label changes per stock keeping unit were "substantially greater than those previously quoted by the European Commission and those quoted in UK impact assessments".
They also highlight the “significant, consequential costs arising from the otherwise apparently straightforward requirement to change a label to indicate the origin of (one or more) ingredients”.
Read the report: Developing a Framework for Assessing the Costs of Labelling Changes in the UK (pdf download)
