(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 26 - "The Czech Republic, along with Italy was among the first to immediately express its opposition to the color labeling system. This stance is now shared in Europe by an increasing number of countries." So said Italy's undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Gian Marco Centinaio, commenting on statements issued by the Minister of Agriculture of the Czech Republic, Zdenek Nekula.

Nekula, who will be rotating president of the EU Council on July 1, said he favored the regional indications of origin such as PDO and PGI but was not enthusiastic about Nutriscore, judging better the alternative Italian NutrInform Battery. "The big conference on food labeling that Nekula has announced considering the EU Commission proposals - Centinaio continued - will undoubtedly represent a critical moment of confrontation and an opportunity to highlight the limitations and contradictions of the French proposal. Instead of promoting correct consumers' information, this stance risks conditioning their purchasing choices, penalizing purchases, and products with an indication of origin, expression of traditions, to the advantage of standardization and ultra-processed foods made by multinationals." (ANSA).