Spain – Draft Royal Decree concerning the labeling of origin of milk
On March 29, 2017, the draft Royal Decree on the labeling of the origin of milk as raw material for milk and milk products was published in Spain.
In the current legal context, in accordance with Article 26.2.a) of Regulation (EU) 1169/2011, the indication of the country of origin or of the place of provenance of a food should be provided whenever its absence is likely to mislead consumers as to the true country of origin or place of provenance of that product. In addition, the application of Article 26.3 of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the country of origin or place of provenance of the primary ingredient is subject to the adoption of implementing acts by the Commission which have not been approved yet.
So far the indication of the country of origin is currently a voluntary information.
However, the origin of milk and dairy products is information perceived as a positive attribute. For this reason, it has been considered appropriate to regulate this matter, on an experimental basis, over a period of two years, in line with similar regulations established in other Member States.
It is therefore proposed that the labeling of milk and milk products listed in the Annex, which are intended for the final consumer or the collectives, should include some mandatory information.
In addition, food business operators may supplement the prescribed mandatory particulars with more precise additional information on the regional or territorial origin of the milk if the latter originates entirely from the indicated source and provided that the name of that region or territory does not coincide with a name Protected under Regulation (EU) 1151/2012, Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs, for the same type of product.
Our Consulting Department can support every company who needs to review their labels in order to ensure the correct adaptation to the new regulation when officially published.
