Watch out Paddington… The EU is coming for your grub! Brussels plans to rename jam as marmalade, while the bitter orange preserve will become ‘citrus marmalade’

• The EU Commission is proposing that jam should be labelled as marmalade
• Ministers are facing a decision on whether to follow Brussels or dodge changes 

It’s enough to make Paddington drop his marmalade sandwich.

For the bear’s favourite filling could soon be renamed, thanks to EU bureaucrats.

The European Commission is revising its ‘breakfast directives’ and proposing that, for the first time, jam should be labelled as marmalade. Meanwhile, marmalade should be renamed ‘citrus marmalade’.

Ministers are now facing a sticky decision on whether to follow Brussels or dodge the reforms.

The Commission’s proposals reflect national practices across the EU where jam is referred to as marmellata in Italian, marmelade in German, and mermelada in Spanish. Under the Windsor Framework, agreed by Rishi Sunak and the EU in February, the reforms would apply to goods produced in Northern Ireland.

The bear’s favourite filling could soon be renamed, thanks to EU bureaucrats

The changes would also see the minimum fruit content of jams increased from 35 per cent to 45 per cent.

Food minister Mark Spencer told the Commons European scrutiny committee that the changes would be confusing for British consumers – but did not rule it out. He said: ‘The Government needs to investigate further and discuss with stakeholders, particularly those businesses that will be affected.

‘This will include consideration of whether it is in the best interest of the UK to consider similar changes.’ Sammy Wilson, a Democratic Unionist Party MP, told the Belfast Telegraph: ‘This is just a good example of the kind of madness we expected to be free from when we left the European Union.’ Last financial year, Britain exported about 10.6 million kilograms of jam valued at about £32million, according to HMRC.

Food minister Mark Spencer told the Commons European scrutiny committee that the changes would be confusing for British consumers

The proposals also include a new ‘reduced sugar fruit juice’ category. This will require a minimum 30 per cent cut in sugar content compared with the regular version.

Mr Spencer said he considers the new fruit juice category to be ‘most significant change’.

He added: ‘Encouraging the production of jams with higher fruit content is broadly in line with previous UK proposed measures to reduce the sugar content of jam in line with reducing sugar intake.’

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