In the case of fruit and vegetables, eggs and fresh beef, the country of origin must already be specified. But what about loose meat from pigs, sheep, goats and poultry?
Supermarket customers should get clarity about the country of origin of the animals with more meat products. This is the aim of a regulation by Minister of Food Cem Özdemir (Greens), which the federal cabinet approved on Wednesday. This is intended to extend mandatory labeling to unpackaged fresh meat from pigs, sheep, goats and poultry. This already applies to packaged goods, as well as unpackaged beef.
Özdemir said: “Anyone who buys at the fresh food counter will be informed in future where the meat comes from.” The regulation is only a first step. Since the EU Commission has still not submitted a proposal for a comprehensive indication of origin, he wants to draw up a regulation for Germany.
In the future, loose meat from pigs, sheep, goats and poultry will also be labeled in meat counters in supermarkets, but also in butchers’ shops, farm shops or at weekly markets. Providers must specify the country of rearing and slaughter, with small signs or on screens. The new regulation should come before the Federal Council in the summer and come into force at the beginning of 2024.
The country of origin is already mandatory for many foods. This includes fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs and fresh beef – related to birth, fattening, slaughter and cutting. In addition, Özdemir is planning a mandatory logo that shows the form of animal husbandry – from the legal minimum standard in the stables to organic. Let’s start with pork.
Source: Stern
