The UK Government has confirmed that marmalade will not need to be renamed as a result of post-Brexit trade rules. Reports had suggested that the preserve would have to be relabelled “citrus marmalade” under EU regulations the Government is set to adopt as part of a food deal.
The EU is relaxing its definition of marmalade to allow other preserves to be sold under that name, provided they specify the fruit used. This change stems from a British-led lobbying campaign in the 1970s that gave orange marmalade special status in EU law, requiring other preserves to be labelled as jam.
A Government source noted that marmalade on UK shelves is already typically labelled as “orange marmalade” or “Seville orange marmalade”, which complies with the new rules. The source added that the EU directive allows “citrus” to be replaced by the specific fruit name.
The source said: “This isn’t such a sticky situation after all. The only ‘marmalade madness’ is the Tories and Reform boiling over with rage about jar labels that won’t need to change. Despite false claims that the name orange marmalade is toast, it will be preserved, so there’s no need to spread alarm.”
Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel criticised the Government on social media, accusing Labour of attacking British marmalade and seeking to align with the EU.
