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The benchmark index was down to 859.34 points at 12:37 BST, with stock in retailers and food firms leading the decline, Reuters reports.
Heineken, Unilever and Tesco all fell during the morning session, while supermarket chain Carrefour was down by two per cent.
However, stronger performances from bank helped limit losses on the index, as Barclays climbed 2.1 per cent, while UniCredit and UBS rose by one per cent and 1.6 per cent respectively.
And many firms in the pharmaceutical sector also ended the morning trading session higher, with GlaxoSmithKline adding 1.5 per cent and Sanofi-Aventis seeing a 2.6 per cent increase.
Market strategist Joshua Raymond noted that trading has been "very quiet".
"The European markets continued to trade within tight ranges today as low volumes and low volatility contributed to a directionless market," he stated, adding that any sudden changes over the coming days were "unlikely".
