Rules for honey, jam, fruit juice and powdered milk

News on the “Breakfast Guidelines” Coming Soon

The Council and representatives of the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on the so-called ‘breakfast directives’, which concern the composition, labelling and denomination of certain food products: honey, fruit jam and marmalade, fruit juices and dried preserved milk.

The revision of EU marketing standards for certain ‘breakfast directives’ was proposed by the Commission on 21 April 2023, to ensure that marketing standards are up to date and reflect changes in consumer demand. The updated directives aim to promote a shift towards healthier diets, help consumers make informed choices and ensure transparency regarding the origin of products.

Below is a list of the main elements of the provisional agreement

1. Honey

2. Fruit Juices

3. Jams and Fruit Preserves

4. Milk

5. Next steps

• The countries of origin will be listed on the label in descending order, based on weight; the label will also include the percentage that each country represents in the blend, thus increasing transparency for consumers.

• Member States may decide that the obligation to indicate the percentage on the label applies only to the four largest parts, provided that these represent more than 50% of the weight of the mixture.

• To ensure flexibility, in the case of packages of less than 30 grams, the names of the countries of origin can be replaced by a two-letter ISO code.

• three new categories will be added:

  • ‘low sugar fruit juices’,

  • ‘low sugar fruit juices from concentrate’ and ‘

  • low-sugar concentrated fruit juices’.

In addition, operators will be allowed to use the label ‘fruit juices contain only naturally occurring sugars’. This will ensure that consumers are better informed about the products they consume.

• the minimum fruit content in jams and extra marmalades will be increased (100 g more per kg for jams and 50 g more per kg for extra marmalades), while ensuring a significant distinction between the two categories:

  • 450g as a general rule for jam.

  • 500g as a general rule for extra jam.

This increase in fruit content will help reduce the amount of sugar in jams, allowing consumers to make healthier choices.

In the case of dehydrated preserved milk, the use of treatments that produce lactose-free dairy products will be permitted.

Next Steps

At the technical level, the details of the revised directives will be developed in the coming weeks. The provisional agreement will then be submitted to the Member States’ representatives in the Special Committee on Agriculture for approval.

It will then need to undergo a legal/linguistic review before being formally adopted by the co-legislators and entering into force.