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The Marmalade Scandal: a sticky situation with the EU. · Mark and Pete

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  The marmalade scandal, sticky situation with the EU.
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  Welcome to Mark and Pete where we look at EU regulation gone
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  mad. It's back again.
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  Yes, this is Mark and Pete, 2 blokes with half an opinion.
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  Now here's our first thought preserve.
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  The preserve we deserve. Paddington bare marvels and
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  munches Marmalade, which gives him a sticky paw.
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  But relabelling the preserve means it's hard to swallow with
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  the bite of the new EU law. Yes.
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  Well, once again we've got the battleground of the EU versus
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  the United Kingdom government marmalade, which has been
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  quintessentially a British preserve with some of his
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  recipes handed down to multiple generations may potentially have
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  to change its labelling and call it citrus marmalade.
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  Now Mr. Pete, I know in the battleground of keeping to the
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  brand and true to the nature of any kind of product, we want to
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  sort of retain our heritage. What say you about this
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  particular? Food regulation?
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  Well #1I, I thought we'd left the EUI mean it's getting silly
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  now with the following EU regulations.
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  To getting stickier. It's a yes.
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  It's a sticky situation, yes, Yeah.
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  But you know, if, if something is marmalade, right, you should
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  call it marmalade. I mean, it's a bit like there
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  was a situation, wasn't there when while we were still in the
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  EU, where ice cream couldn't be called ice cream simply because
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  it wasn't made of ice and cream. Taking things to literally,
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  people knew what they were eating.
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  And it's made the Mr. Whippy brand name type of ice cream was
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  actually made of synthetically. It was a a sort of synthetic
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  fact that was used to produce it and I much preferred it, but it
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  was called ice cream because that's the sort of thing it was
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  and it had to be changed. Now this is a similar idea, and
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  as mad as having to have straight bananas if you remember
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  that regulation. Oh yes.
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  Bananas are naturally curved when when they grow.
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  So what I want to it's just and it's just getting silly when
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  words are used and you everyone knows what they mean.
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  It's part of a culture in Britain where you you know what
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  marmalade is. So call it that.
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  Don't just rename it in the Bible.
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  We like to just put in a Christian Santal things just to
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  to give a comment from the Bible.
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  And I'd say there's quite a few verses which I could quote which
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  talk about naming things wrongly, you know, slipping into
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  lying. One is Isaiah 5 verse 20, which
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  says woe to those who call evil good and good Edel.
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  Now I mentioned that because, you know, it's about being
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  truthful and using the right word, but also because I can't
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  stand marmalade and I like I like jam.
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  So you of course it good, evil and evil good.
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  It actually fits. But the fact that I can't, it's
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  a bit like, you know, how in the, the argument over freedom
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  of speech, it's often said, well, yes, I, I don't agree with
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  what you say, but but I would fight to the death for your
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  right to say it. I don't know who that's a quote
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  from, but it's, it's often quoted and attributed to various
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  people. While in this case it's more
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  like, you know, I can't stand marmalade, but I'd fight to the
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  sticky end for your right to eat it and call it marmalade.
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  Well, I'm going to have to tell you that I do like marmalade and
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  I will say that there are different types of course, and
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  there's one with the chunky bits, with the oranges.
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  Now of course it is a British product which has been around
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  for a long time and for commercial reasons, the cut
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  which is often come from, yes, bitter Seville oranges.
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  And these concoctions are often associated with a very well
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  known character. Now, which has emerged, of
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  course, Paddington Bear. Now I'm sure that he has got a
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  lot to say about this. Unfortunately, he was not
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  available for interview on this show.
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  But of course, obviously if Paddington would like to comment
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  and please put something in the chat.
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  But nevertheless, what I will say is I agree with you.
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  The problem here is the EU once again is trying to dictate how
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  Brittle should actually label it's products or even name them.
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  And I think that this is a concern because at the end of
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  the day, surely Mr. Pete if we are making a particular product
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  we should call it whatever we like and then, you know, they
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  just simply sell it accordingly. So it's isn't a marmalade from
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  Britain or whatever. We want, yes, I think that's
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  right. And, and just, I agree with
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  that. And I would take the the point
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  seriously though that we that has often been noted during the
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  Brexit debate though, when we were talking about leaving the
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  EU and we had that vote on whether we should or not.
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  There's a difference between the whole approach to regulation and
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  law in European countries and Britain and other countries that
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  have followed our legal tradition and that is in Europe
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  it's more let's regulate everything.
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  There's a top down approach in Britain.
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  It has traditionally been, although that has changed
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  recently, but it has traditionally been the case that
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  you only make a law when you need to.
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  You have a regulation where there is something to regulate.
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  It's done based on case law or when something specifically
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  happens that needs to be means you need to define it.
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  You don't just have regulations about everything.
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  And so, yeah, the British tradition would say, well, we
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  call it marmalade. And this is what what we make
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  marmalade of. Of course the the EU change
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  regulation doesn't mean you can't call something marmalade,
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  but it's about specifically how you make this particular
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  preserve. Is it marmalade?
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  It's, it's more in the technicalities of it, but still
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  it's an intrusion. If someone is saying it's
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  marmalade, then that's what they should be able to call it, the
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  contents of it and how it's and what that does for your
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  physique. In other words, how much sugar
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  is in there? Well, that's on the packaging.
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  I, I don't, I don't see the issue.
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  We're calling it marmalade. And in British tradition what
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  would happen is you would wait for people to complain, hey, I
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  bought this marmalade, but it wasn't made strictly according
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  to EU regulations. If that really did keep on
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  happening, maybe there's a case for it, but somehow I doubt that
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  it will. Well, this is where I think that
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  maybe some of the supermarkets or retail stores could probably
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  help because at the end of the day, they can decide what they
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  actually sell on the shelves. Mr. Pete, this is certainly an
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  option. Maybe our little campaign here
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  to retain a marmalade should be to the buyer, because the buyer
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  can say, no, I want the particular brand that is labeled
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  Britain and it's got marmalade on it and it's not got citrus
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  marmalade or any other EU branding all over it.
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  Because I think that really that's where the, the power base
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  is, isn't it? I mean, the consumer will have
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  obviously a say because at the end of the day, if they don't
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  buy it. But my, my concern is this, it's
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  just another watering down, isn't it?
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  Of, of our own heritage, our own products itself.
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  So maybe, maybe there's a little call out to the buyers there.
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  What do you? Think yes, I think there's a
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  rallying cry. Let's mount the barricades and
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  shout for Britain, for England and Sir George by British
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  Marmalade. And spread it everywhere.