Written question asked by Sian C James (Labour) on Thursday, 19 June 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 23 June 2008. It was answered by Gareth Thomas (Labour) on Thursday, 26 June 2008 on behalf of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

Labelling

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make a statement on the regulations governing food and clothing labelling in the UK; and whether there is a requirement to include country of origin on clothing.

Answer: The Textile Products (Indications of Fibre Content) Regulations 1986 (as amended) require that all textile products bear an accurate indication of their fibre content and that the indication should consist only of permitted generic names for fibres. A textile product is a product which contains at least 80 per cent. by weight of textile fibres.Generally speaking, there is no requirement in the law of the UK to label as to the origin, care or size of textile products. There is nothing to prevent voluntary labelling as to these matters but this would be subject to the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (CPRs) 2008, which require traders not to mislead consumers.Food labelling regulations are a matter for the Department of Health.

Secondary information