It’s the quintessential British preserve loved by a bear who keeps sandwiches under his hat, but soon marmalade may have a Brexit rebrand thanks to the government’s planned food deal with the EU.
The breakfast staple will have to be sold as “citrus marmalade” if the agreement goes ahead and Britain readopts a raft of European Union food regulations. The move is designed to cut red tape and make it easier for British producers to trade with the bloc.
The rebrand would be required because Brussels is in the process of relaxing labelling rules, widening the legal definition of marmalade for the first time.
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Existing European regulations dictate that only preserves made from citrus fruits can be sold as “marmalade” in shops. Other kinds of fruit spread must be called “jam” or equivalent terms in other languages. The rules were incorporated in British law before Brexit.
The law is the product of successful British lobbying in the 1970s which gives marmalade cut from bitter Seville oranges a special commercial status. However, the rules have been a source of friction with food regulators across Europe, as well as creating linguistic confusion.
In 2004, the EU agreed to relax the rule for producers selling fruit products at farmers’ markets in Austria and Germany. However, consumers in countries such as Spain and Italy continued to be confused given that “mermelada” and “marmellata” are commonly used for spreads made from other fruits, such as plums and figs.
Jakob von Weizsäcker, a German MEP who had been pushing for a change after Brexit, told the BBC in 2017 that the naming rules were “contrary to German linguistic tradition”. Brussels has used Brexit as the chance to update the regulations, allowing all EU countries to allow non-citrus conserves to be marketed as “marmalade” from June.
However, in line with international norms, citrus-based ones will need to be distinguished and will have to be sold under the new legal name “citrus marmalade”, the BBC reports.
The new name was already set to take effect in Northern Ireland this summer, under the 2023 Windsor framework deal that requires the province align with EU food laws automatically. Officials in Whitehall have now confirmed that the rule is among 76 updated EU food-related laws that will also apply in England, Wales and Scotland, if the food deal is agreed with Brussels.
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Rachel Reeves has been pushing for closer alignment with the EU on sectors such as food and agriculture. The chancellor believes that Brexit has created red tape that is stifling British businesses and restricting their export capabilities.
Ministers may still introduce legislation to prevent products such as raspberry marmalade from being sold outside Northern Ireland. A previous assessment, by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, which was responsible for labelling rules in England, found that such a rule change “could be confusing for UK consumers”.
One manufacturer told the BBC they had already changed the name of one product to comply with the new rules, and another said all their labels would need to be altered if the agreement was made.
A government spokesman said: “British marmalade is not changing; it will still be the same product available in our shops as it is now.
“British manufacturers align with international standards to ensure our world-class produce can be sold to a larger international market. Our deal with the EU supports businesses by removing the costly red tape that holds back our exporters from our largest trading partner.
“Crucially, our agreement secures the UK’s ability to shape the rules that affect our industry in the national interest.”