Food labelling legislation in the EU and consumers information

Food labelling legislation in the EU began with Council Directive 79/112/EEC relating to the labelling, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs. It has been made more detailed, more informative and more complicated by Council Directive 2000/13/EC and its amendment 2003/89/EC. Nutrition labelling and nutrition claims are regulated in Council Directive 90/496/EEC. The discussion of health claims in the Codex Alimentarius Committee on Food Labelling has been of influence in the EU and is one of the bases of the recent Proposal on Nutrition and Health Claims Made on Foods of 2003. There is a need to investigate consumer perception of the information provided on food labels and the lessons the consumer derives from such information.