In Europe, you may no longer get a dozen eggs next year

The perils of over legislation may be faced by shopkeepers in the European Union who will be banned from selling eggs or fruit by the dozen under new food labelling regulations proposed by the European parliament.

Under the draft legislation, meant to come into force next year, sale of food items in the EU using simple numerical measurements will be replaced by a system based on weight. If approved, the legislation would mean an end to packaging eggs or fruit by the dozen, bread rolls in packs of six or fish fingers in boxes of 12.

The legislation could even see a ban on special promotional packs such as those offering "eight chocolate bars for the price of six". It comes after members of the European parliament (MEPs) voted against an amendment to regulations that would have allowed individual countries to nominate products that could be sold by number.

Reports said the proposed change would cost the food industry millions of pounds as items would have to be individually weighed to ensure the accuracy of the label on the package.

Food industry sources described the move as "absolute madness", while the editor of The Grocer magazine, Adam Leyland, said the EU had "created a multi-headed monster".

The UK's coalition government on Sunday vowed to fight the new legislation. Environment secretary Caroline Spelman insisted the changes appeared to go "against common sense".