Keep off our jam jars

Thousands who regularly sell their home-made jam, marmalade or chutney in re-used jars are breaching European health and safety regulation

Eurocrats should keep their sticky fingers out of our jam jars, warned local MEP Paul Nuttall today.

His angry comments follow a warning that the thousands who regularly sell their home-made jam, marmalade or chutney in re-used jars are breaching European health and safety regulations.

"Yet another piece of interfering nonsense from overpaid bureaucrats with nothing better to do than meddle in other people's daily lives," said Mr Nuttall, UKIP Deputy Leader.

"Can you believe you could actually be flung in jail for six months for selling your home made preserves in a previously used jam jar? And this at a time when re-cycling is driving so much of the onerous Green agenda which is leading to crippling energy costs."

A circular from the Churches’ Legislation Advisory Service warns that while people can use still jars for jam at home or to give to family and friends, they cannot sell them or even give them away as raffle prizes at a public event.

"I gather the Women's Institute is offering similar guidance to its 210,000 members and I have no doubt they are aghast. I hope they all act as one and tell the EU where to put their sticky fingers," said Mr Nuttall.

"Selling home-made jams and chutneys has always been an important part of fundraising for church and voluntary groups and I hope that those in this country adopt the same attitude that no doubt will happen on the continent - and ignore it.

"It's lovely to know that these bureaucrats have time to worry their precious heads about such minutiae when meanwhile the EU is in financial meltdown," he added.