News & positions
European food brand manufacturers welcome European Commission report finding no evidence of East-West divide in food quality
AIM and FoodDrinkEurope, representing European branded food manufacturers, welcome today’s publication of a comprehensive analysis by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) of 128 branded and private label food and drink products across 19 EU Member States, which confirms that there is no evidence of an ‘East-West’ divide in the quality of food. At the same time, FoodDrinkEurope and AIM underscore the paramount importance of the European industry’s high quality standards and reinforce that while food and drink recipes can be adapted to best serve consumers across the EU, this should in no way be confused with offering lesser-quality products.
Mella Frewen, Director General of FoodDrinkEurope, commented: “Europe’s food and drink companies, small and large alike, take pride in being able to serve the richness of diversity in consumer preferences, whilst standing behind high quality, sustainability and brand consistency across Europe. We hope that the publication of the JRC report will provide reassurance to consumers, authorities and other stakeholders.”
Michelle Gibbons, Director General of AIM: “As can been seen by the detail in the report, brands manufacturers in Europe have partnered with the European Commission and the JRC to ensure all facts have been made available to clarify this key issue. We look forward to continuing this constructive dialogue in the future, as we all seek to deliver the absolute best for consumers and communities around Europe.”
Since the JRC report has shown minor differences in labelling declarations (e.g. different application of rounding rules in the EU Member States), companies will take action to further align declarations across all EU countries, where possible. Furthermore, the members of AIM and FoodDrinkEurope look forward to continuing working with consumers, the authorities and stakeholders in all Member States to further optimise their recipes to local preferences and dietary needs.