Aiming to promote a healthier diet, the breakfast directive was approved by the European Parliament last April and comes into force in June.
Member states have until December to adapt the new rules and 24 months from the date of approval to enact it.
It will include stricter origin labelling requirements for honey
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) confirmed that Ireland will join other EU members to adapt to the directive and ensure suppliers adhere to it by June 2026.
“The directive amends four of the seven so-called breakfast directives – covering honey, fruit juices, jams, jellies, marmalades, sweetened chestnut purée and dehydrated preserved milk,” said the FSAI.
“The main changes introduced by it will include stricter origin labelling requirements for honey, increased minimum fruit content in jams, reduced sugar content in fruit juices and the authorisation of lactose-free evaporated milk.”
Member states have an eight-month period to adapt to the directive. In Ireland, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is drafting measures to ensure it is adopted before the deadline.
It’s taking into consideration that the demands of EU consumers have changed
“The directives provide common rules on the composition, sales name, labelling and presentation of certain foodstuffs so as to protect the interests of consumers and to ensure their free movement within the internal market,” a DAFM spokesperson said.
“It will update certain EU marketing standards that are over 10 years old, in order to adapt them to changes and technological developments in different sectors.
“It’s also taking into consideration that the demands of EU consumers have changed – the new demands for information and quality on the part of consumers and society in general. As an EU member, the revised rules will apply in Ireland.”
When the national measures are put into place, Irish retailers and suppliers will be expected to change their production process in line with the changes.
A Luxembourg Times report in April found that honey is one of the most adulterated foods in EU pantries – made impure due to the addition of other substances.
The European Commission sampled 320 imported brands of honey between 2021 and 2022 to find that three-quarters of honey from China was adulterated, along with 14 out of 15 samples from Turkey and all UK samples.
Current laws only stipulate that brands must label if their honey is “from EU countries” or “from non-EU countries”.
The new directive will require the indication of origin to be more clear, even if it is a mixture of different types of honey. It will also require improved traceability.
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