Supermarkets may have to label food as ‘Not for EU’ in four different ways as a result of the new Windsor Framework.
Grocery retail bosses are expected to include this label on individual packs of food, cases carrying products and supermarket shelves, which could lead to stores changing millions of shelf edge labels, The Telegraph reported.
This comes as the British Retail Consortium has urged the government to give supermarkets “urgent clarity” over labelling as many UK businesses are waiting to find out which ‘lane’ they can trade in.
When goods arrive in Northern Ireland they go through a ‘green lane’ and no checks will have to be carried out if they are intended to stay in the region, or a ‘red lane’ if they are traveling to the EU, which will require checks.
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From October, ‘Not for EU’ labels will begin rolling out on meat and dairy products.
While these were intially expected to only be used for products travelling to Northern Ireland, foreign secretary James Cleverly announced last week that they will now be applied across the whole of the UK.
The relabelling will cause additional costs for supermarkets, with many bosses also concerned about the time in which they have to do so, ahead of the 1 October deadline.
A UK government spokesperson told The Telegraph: “We have always been clear that labelling would be needed for the green lane.
“The new ‘not for EU’ labelling requirements will only be needed for certain goods, and will be phased in from October 2023. This is a proportionate and necessary means of ensuring goods moving in the green lane will only be sold to consumers in Northern Ireland and ensures they can move without routine checks.
“We are engaging with businesses to help them adapt to these new arrangements and will set out more guidance in due course.”
