French food watchdog seeks animal welfare labels for meat, dairy, eggs
France’s food safety agency has put forward a proposal that would see meat, dairy and egg produce labelled with colour-coded scores that rate how well the goods respect animal welfare legislation.
In a report published Thursday, French regulator Anses suggested labelling animal products with a five-level rating from A to E – similar to the Nutri-score nutrition labels – to better inform consumers about how the animals were treated.
It recommended the rating be based on how animals are raised as well as their transport and conditions in slaughter houses.
There is no existing legislation to regulate labelling in terms of animal welfare, Anses wrote in its report.
Even regulated labels – such as organic or free-range eggs, or broiler chickens – are not standardised or verifiable and cause confusion for customers, Anses said.
Regulated labels – such as organic and free-range eggs, or national standards on products like broiler chickens – do exist. But Anses said that because they're not standardised and cannot be verified, they cause "confusion and doubt" for consumers.
Direct data
(with AFP)
Read more on RFI English
Read also:
France bans use of 'meat' labelling for vegetarian products
French parliament votes against ending battery farming in animal rights bill
France could meet climate goals if meat consumption is 'halved'
