Marmalade to be rebranded in post-Brexit food deal

Marmalade has long been a quintessential British preserve, with some recipes handed down between multiple generations. But jars of the fruity spread could look a little different on shop shelves under the UK government's planned EU food deal, it has emerged. The breakfast favourite will have to be labelled "citrus marmalade" or include the name of a citrus fruit if the agreement goes ahead, when Britain will readopt new EU food regulations in a bid to boost trade and reduce red tape for British exporters. The move is required because Brussels is relaxing its labelling rules, widening the legal definition of marmalade across Europe for the first time. A UK government spokesperson said on Friday that British marmalade was "not changing" and would remain the same product available in shops, adding the EU deal would support businesses by removing costly red tape. Decades-old European regulations incorporated into UK law before Brexit mean only preserves made from citrus fruits can be sold as "marmalade" in shops, with other kinds of fruit spread named "jam" or equivalent terms in other languages. It is a product of British lobbying in the 1970s for a special commercial status for marma