Information about origin - non-compound products

Information on origin provides procuring authorities with information about the product, e.g., which environmental and animal protection laws have been applicable during production. The procuring authority and wholesaler can assume that the country in question's control functions have worked. Origin is also a matter of interest for public purchasers and end consumers. The information is thus in demand and it is therefore important to meet all the associated requirements.

Beef:

In the EU's regulatory framework, there is mandatory requirements on the origin labelling of beef, pork, lamb and poultry. We therefore recommend that requirements on origin information follow the same principles as in Regulations EG) 178/2002 and (EG) 13337/2013, which regulates the mandatory origin labelling of animal products.

Egg:

The EU's regulatory framework currently contains a mandatory requirement on the origin labelling of eggs. A system code must be stamped on each individual egg.

Fruit and vegetables:

Country of origin labelling of fresh, whole fruits and vegetables is included in EU marketing standards in Regulation (EC) 1308/2013 on the establishment of a common organisation of the market for agricultural products. This means that products placed on the European market (including imported goods) must be labelled with the country in which they were grown. The requirements have been in place since 1995 when Sweden joined the EU and are well known today in the industry and by many consumers. Country of origin means the country where the goods were grown. For products originating from an EU country, the name must be stated in the language of the country of origin or another language understood by the consumers in the recipient country. For other products, the name must be stated in a language understood by the consumers in the recipient country.
However, the EU rules of origin do not include products which are chopped or diced, for example. They also exclude potatoes, which have a special regulation which does not include country of origin labelling.

Cereals and sugar:

Within the EU, there are statutory requirements for traceability for a number of product groups such as honey, as well as fruit and vegetables. Discussions are also being held on introducing mandatory traceability requirements for other food, but there are currently none for cereals or sugar.
Today there are traceability systems for all sorts of foods, which have systems that aim to provide information on individual items, outer packaging, pallets or batches. Companies which make use of such systems get control of where the ingredients and finished products come from and where they are delivered.

The version date indicates when the sustainability criterion was created or last updated. Last reviewed dated tells when we last checked that the sustainability criterion still is relevant.