planned EU food deal, it has emerged. The breakfast favorite will have to be sold as "citrus marmalade" 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 name change is required because Brussels is relaxing its labelling rules, widening the legal definition of marmalade across Europe for the first time. 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 marmalade cut from bitter Seville oranges, a concoction that has become strongly associated with Britain around the world thanks to Paddington Bear. But the naming rule laid a linguistic minefield that has been a source of friction with food regulators around Europe ever since.

In 2004, the EU agreed to relax the rule for producers selling fruity wares at farmers' markets in Austria and Germany. It has continued to flummox consumers in countries such as Spain and Italy, where "mermelada" and "marmellata" respectively are commonly used for spreads made from other kinds of fruit, such as plums and figs. A German MEP who had been pushing for a change after Brexit told the BBC in 2017 that the naming rules were "contrary to German linguistic tradition".

Now Brussels has updated its rules after the UK's departure, allowing all EU countries to permit non-citrus spreads to be marketed as "marmalade" from June. However, in line with international norms, citrus-based conserves will need to be distinguished as a separate type of product, and will have to be sold using the new legal name "citrus marmalade".

The new name was already set to take effect in Northern Ireland this summer, under the 2023 Windsor framework deal that sees it align with EU food laws automatically. But the UK government has now revealed the updated marmalade decree is among 76 updated EU food-related laws that will apply in England, Wales and Scotland too if its wider food deal is agreed. (BBC)