Irish chocolate companies say new labelling regulations voted for by the European Parliament on Thursday would have little effect on sales.

The parliament voted for regulations which would make it compulsory for chocolate-makers to state on the front of the product label that it contains vegetable fat. The labels will also have to state the product contains a "high milk content".

The EU Commission will have the final say on whether the regulations come into effect.

Yesterday, a spokesman for Rowntree-Mackintosh said he did not think the labelling regulations would have any effect. Mars Ireland reported that the company's products were already competing in EU markets and their content had not posed any problem. A spokesman for Cadbury Ireland said it was disappointed by the parliament's decision.