UK ketchup sachet ban rumours, Digi Mart USA News (United Kingdom): Rumours are circulating that Prime Minister Andy Burnham could introduce a ban on sachets of ketchup from restaurants and cafes, but a government department has issued a reassuring update.
The rumours suggest a ban could extend to sachets of mayonnaise and vinegar as part of a push to align the UK with European Union rules. The EU has outlawed single-use plastic packaging for condiments in the catering sector on environmental grounds.
In response to a written question in Parliament from Conservative shadow cabinet office minister Mike Wood, Defra minister Emma Hardy said the EU ban will apply in Northern Ireland under the Windsor framework but will not apply in the rest of the UK under the EU reset. Hardy added that a consultation regarding UK alignment is being planned.
However, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed that a ban on single-serving sachets “is not in the scope of any agreement with EU partners and is not a part of our EU reset.” A spokesman told Birmingham Live that the UK is negotiating an SPS deal with the EU that would end what it describes as a costly paperwork tax pushing up supermarket prices and add £5.1 billion a year to the economy.
The spokesman said that if any consultation does take place, it will be the result of the UK choosing to do so.
The update comes as Mr Burnham has denied proposing a return of free movement in talks between the UK and EU, saying any decision about the future relationship will be led by the will of the British people. In an interview with ITV, he said he wanted an “honest discussion” about how leaving the EU had affected migration, arguing that shorter-term migration from Europe had been replaced with longer-term settlement in larger numbers.
“I have not proposed freedom of movement coming back,” he said. “I do believe that we should have an honest discussion with people about how immigration has changed since the Brexit vote.”
Mr Burnham told ITV he believed public opinion had shifted on EU membership but said he would “not run ahead of public opinion. The public need to be the boss when it comes to whatever happens with Brexit.”
