The European Parliament adopted by 355 votes to 308,
with 44 abstentions, a resolution objecting to Commission
Delegated Regulation of 25 September 2015 supplementing
Regulation (EU) No 609/2013 of the European Parliament and of the
Council as regards the specific compositional and information
requirements for processed cereal-based food and baby
food.
The reasons which motivated Parliaments
objection to the Commission delegated regulation are the
following:
- Obesity: Parliament
considered that the delegated regulation does not contain
sufficient measures to protect infants and young children
against obesity and that the allowed maximum sugar level should
be substantially lowered in line with WHO recommendations. The
delegated regulation allows 30 % of the energy in baby foods to be
provided by sugar (7.5 g sugar/100 kcal is equivalent to 30 kcal
from sugar in 100 kcal energy). These are contrary to all health
advice from the WHO which recommends limiting the intake of
free sugars to less than 10 % of total energy intake, with a
further reduction to less than 5 % of total energy intake for
additional health benefits.
- Emerging technologies:
Parliament considered that, in line with the precautionary
principle, emerging technologies such as GMOs and nanotechnologies,
whose long-term risks are not known, should be prohibited in
processed cereal-based food and baby food.
- Labelling: taking the
view that, in consideration of global public health
recommendations, including World Health Assembly (WHA) resolution
63.23, the WHA Global Strategy on Infant and Young Child Feeding
and the global impact of exports from the Union to third countries,
the labelling and marketing of processed baby foods should make it
clear that these products are not adequate for use by infants of
less than six months of age and should not undermine the
six-month exclusive breastfeeding recommendation. Therefore, the
labelling and marketing should be revised in line with WHA
recommendations for foods for infants and young
children.
- Transparency: in order
to build public trust in Union institutions and EU decision making,
Parliament is of the opinion that the list of bilateral
meetings (including the dates thereof and participants)
which the Commission has held with interested parties during the
process of drafting the delegated regulation should be made
public.