Position on the evaluation on the Directive on unfair trading practices

FoodServiceEurope believes that fostering fair contractual relations amongst all actors in the supply chain is essential to provide high-quality, safe, and affordable food to consumers. Therefore, the contract catering sector welcomes the opportunity to provide input to the evaluation of Directive 2019/633 on unfair trading practices in the agricultural and food supply chain.

The current Directive does not sufficiently consider the specificities of the contract catering sector and its unique position in the food supply chain. This is because the scope of the Directive only applies to the sale and purchase of food products but not the provision of food services in business-to-business relations. As a result, our sector needs to comply with the requirements and obligations as buyers of food products but does not have equivalent protection in their dealings as suppliers.

We therefore believe that it is essential to revise the Directive as soon as possible to extend its scope to cover the provision of food services.