Keir Starmer’s Brexit betrayal could ban UK favourite snacks – Monster Munch included | UK | News
Classic snacks may need to be renamed under Labour’s EU reset deal (Image:-)
Classic “meat” snacks such as Roast Beef Monster Munch, chicken and mushroom Pot Noodles and Smiths Bacon Fries may need to be renamed under Labour’s EU reset deal, it has been revealed. These British favorites, which are actually vegetarian, may fall foul of recommended food labeling rules.
In a groundbreaking move, the bloc restricted food labeling for plant-based foods; This means 31 animal-related words will be banned, including “chicken”, “beef” and “pork”, as well as terms such as “breast” or “drumstick”. The European Parliament and the EU Council reached an interim agreement last week, but the agreement still requires support from the European Commission and the governments of the 27 member states for it to come into force.
But Sir Keir Starmer’s deal on food standards in Brussels, known as “dynamic alignment”, means control of trade in food, plants and agricultural products is handed over to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), with no effective say over future regulations.
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Pot Noodle may be forced to remove word ‘chicken’ under Starmer’s deal (Image: Getty)
The UK Food Standards Agency is understood to have said the UK will be “subject to” new labeling rules unless UK-EU negotiators agree to exempt certain products. Daily Mail. If the legislation is implemented, it could come into force in the UK from 2027.
The new rules could put huge pressure on the UK’s £5.4bn-a-year salty snack industry; Walkers Smoky Bacon and Roast Chicken chips are also likely to be affected.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith accused the Labor Government of “slowly trying to slide into Europe through the back door”.
The former Tory leader added: “If people want to be able to say something tastes meaty, what does that have to do with these clueless bureaucrats? It’s ridiculous.”
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Sir Iain Duncan Smith accused Labor of ‘slowly trying to enter Europe through the back door’ (Image: Getty)
“If we can’t even stand for a packet of Monster Munch or some Bacon Fries, what hope do we have of rejoining the Customs Union?” Mark Francois, Chairman of Tory MPs’ European Research Group, said:
Meanwhile Frank Furedi, chief executive of the MCC Brussels think tank, said: “Brexit was about taking back control of British law. But this weak Labor government looks set to abide by whatever rules Brussels invents from now on.”
“The planned deal could force the UK to adopt new EU labeling requirements, imposing unnecessary costs on much-loved British brands. Laws affecting Britain should be decided by elected MPs in Westminster, not Eurocrats in Brussels.”
The EU’s new rules exclude some common terms such as “burger”, “sausage”, “nugget” and seafood alternatives; This means brands like La Vie’s Jambon can keep their existing names.
The EU gave companies three years to deplete their stocks and comply with new regulations. The technical details of the text will be finalized on Friday, March 13, and then the file will be submitted to a vote in the Agriculture and Fisheries Council with the participation of ministers of all 27 member countries and a final vote in the plenary session of the Parliament.
