A number of MPs reacted critically to a new law on the information of consumers about food products, which was proposed for examination in the first reading, because this does not contain “production date” in the list of mandatory label content elements. They asked for an amendment in this regard in the second reading, saying it is the right of consumers to know this information, IPN reports.

In the debates on the bill, when Lib-Dem Tudor Deliu asked why the “production date” is not present in the list of mandatory label elements, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vasile Luca, who presented the bill, said the document transposes the European directives in the field. According to the deputy minister, not the production date, but the date when a product is safe for consumption is important.

Member of the European People’s group George Mocanu said he will not vote for the bill in the second reading if the given amendment is not included because the consumers must know the date when a product was made.

Liberal MP Ion Apostol said it is important to include the given amendment in the second reading because many consumers want to know if the product was made recently, or there will be promoted products that stayed long on shelves. He noted the European directives will only be improved this way.

Socialist MP Radu Mudreac suggested including also an amendment providing that the list should be extended with mention about genetically modified organisms. Deputy minister Vasile Luca accepted the suggestion.

The bill obliges the business entries to specify if the product contains substances that can create allergy or intolerance, such as grain with gluten, eggs, fish, soybean, milk and derivatives.

The bill was passed in the first reading by a majority of votes.