  The Taurid meteoroid stream has long been linked with 2P/Encke owing to a
good match of their orbital elements, even though the comet's activity is not
strong enough to explain the number of observed meteors. Various small NEOs
have been discovered with orbits that can be linked to 2P and the Taurid
meteoroid stream. Maribo and Sutter's Mill are CM type carbonaceous chondrites
that fell in Denmark on Jan 17, 2009 and Apr 22, 2012, respectively. Their
pre-atmospheric orbits place them in the middle of the Taurid meteoroid stream,
which raises the intriguing possibility that comet 2P could be the parent body
of CM chondrites. To investigate whether a relationship between comet 2P, the
Taurid complex associated NEOs, and CM chondrites exists, we performed
photometric and spectroscopic studies of these objects in the visible
wavelength range. We observed 2P and 10 NEOs on Aug 2, 2011 with FORS at the
VLT. Images in the R filter, used to investigate the possible presence of
cometary activity around the nucleus of 2P and the NEOs, show that no resolved
coma is present. None of the FORS spectra show the 700 nm absorption feature
due to hydrated minerals that is seen in the CM chondrite meteorites. All
objects show featureless spectra with moderate reddening slopes at $\lambda <
800$nm. Apart for 2003 QC10 and 1999 VT25, which show a flatter spectrum, the
spectral slope of the observed NEOs is compatible with that of 2P. However,
most of the NEOs show evidence of a silicate absorption in lower S/N data at
$\lambda > 800$nm, which is not seen in 2P, which suggests that they are not
related. Despite similar orbits, we find no spectroscopic evidence for a link
between 2P, the Taurid complex NEOs and the Maribo and Sutter's Mill
meteorites. However, we cannot rule out a connection to the meteorites either,
as the spectral differences may be caused by secondary alteration of the
surfaces of the NEOs.
