Make Fruit Juice Healthier, Say Euro MPs

Euro MPs today voted for better labelling of fruit juice and an end to the unfair advantage that foreign firms enjoy over EU producers.

After the European Parliament's all-party consumer committee vote, S&D Euro MP Andrés Perelló, author of the report on this issue, said: "At present, labelling is unclear and customers sometimes cannot make the healthiest choice. For instance, the sugar content of 'fruit juice' and 'fruit nectar' is important for diabetics, children and people with weight problems. "Fruit juices, both natural and concentrated, should have no added sugar. Added sugar should apply only to nectars."

The Spanish Euro MP also called for a fair deal for EU producers: "We now import more than 80 per cent of all orange juice consumed in Europe from the US and Brazil, even though the oranges they use are grown specifically to be processed.

"We have better oranges – the very same oranges we eat at the table. Yet juices made from EU fruits face tougher rules than imported juices. EU rules should apply equally to all products on sale in the EU. US juice sold in Europe as only 'orange juice' can include tangerine, but not EU juice. We cannot accept double standards. From now own, the tangerine will be listed as an ingredient."

source: www.socialistgroup.eu