According to the legislation which was published last month, manufacturers must indicate on pack the address of the Italian factory where a food product was either manufactured or packaged. Italy is also trialling mandatory origin labelling for dairy products along with other member states such as France, Greece and Finland. But this legislation aects all categories of processed food and drink that is made or packed in Italy, and has been described as "backdoor protectionism" by critics.

A spokesperson for Nestlé said the legislation will not aect its products produced in Italy as it already printed the country of processing and manufacture on everything it makes locally. However, the company opposes mandatory origin labelling in principle. “The single market is one of the EU’s greatest achievements. A well-functioning single market stimulates competition, enhances eciency, helps cut prices and has been instrumental to the success of our industry in the EU," the spokesperson said.