My name is Claudia. I am German and I
have been working at the European Commission in
Brussels since I was 25. I feel very strongly
about the rights of Europeans to take control
of their own health and lifestyle when it comes
to making food choices.
That is why I have chosen to work on the
labelling
of food products to give Europeans the
necessary information to know what they are
eating. My particular interest is in the area
of
health
and nutrition claims. I would like to see
rules on the EU level to make sure that
companies have a basis for the claims they make
on food (for example "low in fat" or "reduces
your risk of heart disease").
My colleagues work on related legislation
including general rules about labelling and
rules about specific products like beef or
genetically
modified foods. Another important area is
the labelling of products likely to give
trouble to people with allergies - such as
allergies to nuts, eggs or soya.
I know that many people worry not only
about what they are eating but also about
whether or not their food is safe or if it is
contaminated in some way. People worry about
things like
chemicals
or
pesticides
in their food as well as issues like
BSE.
At DG Health and Consumer Protection I
have colleagues committed to working on all
these issues as well as many others.
