Country of origin and place of provenance related food labelling regulation in the European Union

In this study, the authors review the legal background of food origin labelling in the European Union from 1979 to the present day, taking into consideration also the Hungarian regulatory framework on origin labelling. Country of origin and place or provenance related food labelling regulation is one of the most complex issues in the European food law, with a growing importance that reflects the diversif cation of consumer expectations in the common market. In the European Union an increasing complexity of legislation can be observed regarding to the mandatory origin labelling in both the harmonized European Union legal framework and the Member States level over the last twenty years. These regulations are often completed by voluntary labelling legislation elements and other labelling schemes. Several research show that country of origin and place of provenance are among the most important pieces of information for consumers. The development of Community rules on origin labelling was initially linked to the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) situation in cattle, but since then the need for information for consumers has increased not only for products of animal origin but also for plant-based products. Country of origin is also a frequent topic in policy-related discussions. In spite of the importance of this field, some of the basic concepts are still not very clear and the regulation is subject to a constant change. The lack of harmonized origin labelling requirements for certain food categories has a negative effect on the EU internal market, therefore the Commission's Farm to Fork strategy, adopted on 20 May 2020 includes mandatory origin labelling for certain food stuffs, with the aim of developing an extended legal framework at EU level that is appropriate for both the EU's internal market and for consumers, while also complying with WTO (World Trade Organization) rules.