One month after the successful signature of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on consumer information on spirit drinks sold in the EU on 4 June, we received a positive reaction from both EU Health Commissioner Andriukaitis and EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan on our proposals. In the joint letter we received, both Commissioners underline that they “welcome very much the initiative and encourage as many companies of the spirits sector to take part in it”.
They stress that the efforts of the sector “to provide consumers with the information they need are greatly appreciated” and underline their confidence “that they will provide a valuable basis for evaluating the impact of the proposed approach and building further developments in the future”.
At the same time, the Commissioners call upon producers of spirits drinks to make sure that any online/website information must not be used to collect or track consumer data for targeted marketing. Furthermore, they mandate a minimum font size for the kcal per 100 ml information that should be “easily legible” and at least 1.2mm, in line with Regulation 1169/2011. In addition, the Commissioners are expecting form the sector regular analyses on the progress made in implementing the MoU.
The positive feedback from the Commisioners boosts our motivation to push on with a swift implementation of the MoU. Watch this space for further news!
