In Brief: EU metric-only labeling
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
EU metric-only labeling: The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association is working to counter European Union directive requiring all products sold in the EU to bear metric-only labeling after Dec. 31, 1999 as part of a 65-member U.S. and European ad hoc coalition founded by Washington, D.C.-based International Trade Advisors. U.S. companies have been allowed to label products with both metric and inch-pound measurements, easing time and cost issues of needing separate labels for U.S. and EU markets. The directive will "stymie -- if not prohibit -- just-in-time production and delivery systems and a company's ability to rapidly meet consumer demand," according to CTFA. In addition, the provision would "undermine" the "advantages of uniform labeling" made possible by the International Cosmetic Ingredient Nomenclature, a harmonization labeling standard accepted in both the U.S. and the EU. The directive was approved in 1979 and last amended in 1989...