Marketing standards have been a feature of the CAP since its early days, with a view to taking into account the expectations of consumers and to contributing to the improvement of the economic conditions for the production and marketing of agricultural products, as well as to the improvement of their quality. The evaluation aims at assessing the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and EU added value of marketing standards established by Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, by secondary CMO legislation and by the “Breakfast Directives”. Recommendations aimed at addressing the most significant issues emerged from the assessment focus on: i) the need to investigate on the implications of improper use of protected dairy terms (e.g. milk, butter) for marketing plant-based substitutes for dairy products; ii) possible updates to specific provisions concerning poultry meat and olive oil; iii) improving consumer awareness about marketing standards; iv) clarifying to national competent authorities the hierarchical relationship between EU marketing standards and EU legislation on food safety and provision of food information to consumers; v) promoting empirical research on the potential implications of EU marketing standards in terms of increased/reduced food losses and waste; vi) investigating the possible benefits of establishing a harmonised EU definition for cider.

This report has been prepared by Areté s.r.l. – Research & Consulting in Economics, Agra CEAS Consulting Ltd | IEG Agribusiness intelligence | Informa and Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (European Commission)

Peer reviewed