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Food Quality in the European Union: Does the Consumer Have Free Choice?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 July 2021

Maria EL GEMAYEL Open the ORCID record for Maria EL GEMAYEL [Opens in a new window]
Maria EL GEMAYEL*
Affiliation:
Al Jad LLP (in association with CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang), Beirut, Lebanon; email: [email protected].
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Abstract

While it is a consumer’s prerogative to be offered all kinds of food products they can choose from, it is also a consumer’s own responsibility as to what kind of products they choose. It is still argued that free choice is only an illusion due to the general decline in food quality; in this context, the extent of free choice that the consumer has is considered, as well as the factors affecting it. These include fundamental European Union principles that demand strong science to prove safety, observe the lowest applicable quality standards and by extent offer a wide leniency range to food manufacturers when it comes to food quality. Another main factor stems from a food law that intensely focuses on securing food safety, while somehow disregarding quality. In addition to that, major efforts have been concentrated on strengthening food information for the purpose of enabling consumers to make healthier choices by both simplifying information on the front of packaging and increasing it on the back, while no direct changes targeting the composition of food have been proposed. As a result, what healthy food choices are left on the market and how accessible are they to consumers?

Type
Articles
Information
European Journal of Risk Regulation , Volume 13 , Issue 2 , June 2022 , pp. 236 - 253
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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122 Art 19(2)(b), Regulation (EC) No 834/2007.

123 Art 21(1)(ii), Regulation (EC) No 834/2007.

124 Art 21(1), Regulation (EC) No 834/2007.

125 Art 10 FIC.

126 Art 20(a) FIC.

127 Art 20(b)(ii) FIC.

128 Art 2(2), Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008.

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