A long term exercise and slated for completion in 2010, Brussels has said in the past that the aim of the amendments is to streamline current labelling legislation.

"This is the first stage of the legislative process and the FSA is keen to influence the content of this document at an early stage," said the FSA.

The purpose of this consultation is to ask if there are any issues that you feel we should raise with the Commission, added the watchdog.

Brussels is due to produce a discussion document setting out its initial ideas by the end of 2004, or early 2005.

The FSA has identified improved label clarity as an area of interest.

"A review of the exemptions from listing certain additives - additives whose presence in the food is due solely to the fact that they are contained in an ingredient of the food, if they serve no significant technological function in the finished product, and additives used solely as a processing aid," said the agency.

Also on the list for improvement, a full ingredient listing on alcoholic drinks and that origin labelling should be clearer, 'to prevent misleading labelling where the origin of the product and its primary ingredients differ. In addition more origin information should be required, especially on meat,' said the FSA.

Suggestions and comments should be sent to Andrew Stephenson at the FSA by 20 August 2004.