France Proposes Mandatory Origin Labelling for Meat Ingredients in Prepacked Foods

France has notified a draft measure to the European Commission under the EU Technical Regulation Information System (TRIS) that would introduce mandatory country-of-origin labelling requirements for meat used as an ingredient in prepacked foods. The proposal, notified as 2026/0281/FR, is open for comments during the standstill period ending on 9 September 2026.The draft regulation would apply to meat from cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and poultry, including meat preparations and mechanically separated meat used as ingredients in prepacked food products. The measure aims to improve consumer transparency and strengthen traceability by providing clearer information on the origin of meat ingredients.

Under the proposal, food business operators would be encouraged to indicate the specific country of origin of the meat ingredient. Where this is not feasible, simplified origin declarations such as “EU”, “Non-EU”, or “EU and Non-EU” could be used depending on the sourcing pattern.
The draft would also expand origin-labelling requirements to meat ingredients regardless of their proportion in the final product, extending transparency obligations to products containing relatively small amounts of meat. Where all production stages occur in a single country, operators could use a simplified origin statement indicating that country. For meat sourced across multiple countries, broader geographical designations would be permitted.

To ensure visibility for consumers, origin information would need to appear alongside the relevant meat ingredient in the ingredients list or as a clearly linked footnote. The proposal further requires the origin declaration to use the same font size, colour and style as the ingredients list. French authorities state that the measure is intended to address strong consumer demand for origin information and improve confidence in food supply chains. The proposal relies on provisions under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 that allow Member States to introduce additional mandatory food information requirements where justified by consumer protection and transparency objectives.
If adopted, the measure would remain in force until 31 December 2030 and would apply to products placed on the French market, while products manufactured or marketed in other EU Member States or third countries would remain outside its scope.