We need a strong portfolio of voluntary and mandatory measures to tackle the huge burden of diet-related diseases, according to the chair of the UK Responsibility Deal food network.
The World Health Organisation has outlined potential strategies to reduce premature deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including junk food taxes and cutting salt intakes.
“This signals a new dawn for weight loss products.”
EFSA’s full low-calorie diet regime report – published this week – can help “tackle the societal challenge of obesity”, the EU’s specialist food trade group has said.
400mg of caffeine a day from all sources is not a safety concern, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has said in a long-awaited caffeine risk assessment.
If elected, a UK Labour government will introduce limits on the levels of fat, salt and sugar that manufacturers are allowed to include in food marketed towards children.
EFSA has very specifically refined what a low-calorie diet replacement regime should contain including a minimum of 600 calories and 30 g of carbohydrates per day. One observer said the opinion was more important than a health claim win for certain nutrients.
Better defined thresholds at which common allergens trigger reactions in a majority of allergic consumers could improve ‘may contain’ labelling, according to researchers from the University of Manchester.
Sugar low: “The use of such a health claim would convey a conflicting and confusing message..."
Five glucose health claims approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) back in 2012 have been officially banned by the European Commission due to concerns over what they would say to consumers about sugar consumption.
Around two thirds of people in the UK do not know how many calories an average person needs to maintain a healthy weight, according to a survey commissioned by two charities and supermarket Tesco.
Malta has launched a food and nutrition action plan in response to the World Health Organization’s Health 2020 policy framework – becoming the first European nation to do so.
Halo Foods has breached advertising codes with ‘goodness’ claims on the honey content of Honey Monster cereal, the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled.
As 2014 draws to a close, let’s take a minute to look back and ask, how accurate was our forecast for the year? FoodNavigator looks back at its trend predictions for 2014.
Supermarket, restaurant and takeaway pizzas contain ‘shockingly high’ levels of salt, according to a product survey by pressure groups CASH (Consensus Action on Salt & Health) and WASH (World Action on Salt & Health).
Dr Pamela Byrne, currently director of regulatory policy and intelligence for firm Abbott Nutrition, is to become the new chief executive for the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).
The UK will publish an extensive report on the role of carbohydrates in the diet next year, presenting opportunities for bread makers to fight back against carb-bashing, says the Federation of Bakers (FOB).
Sugar, gluten-free foods, front-of-pack nutrition labelling, and the 'utter nonsense' behind popular diet claims were among the most popular subjects of the year on FoodNavigator.
A secular organisation has called the Polish Constitutional Court’s decision to overturn a ban on non-stun slaughter ‘regrettable’, while a UK halal group says ‘common sense prevailed’.
Industry trade body FoodDrinkEurope has called FIC labelling changes a step in the right direction and has established a website to explain reference intakes, which will replace GDAs (guideline daily amounts).
Allergens, country of origin labelling and online sales are some of the most problematic areas for food companies as FIC regulation comes into force this week, according to Campden BRI.
Food and drink manufacturers must emphasise the role of exercise in reducing obesity or risk being sidelined in the debate and hit with stricter regulation, according to new research.
The Malaysian government says it is assessing what action it should take to address ‘no palm oil’ labels in France and Belgium, the legal grounds for which have come under scrutiny.
Food Information for Consumers (FIC) legislation should allow manufacturers to choose whether to label ingredient origins to avoid costly, complicated and unnecessary changes, say suppliers.
Fears that manufacturers would reject palm oil in the wake of FIC regulations have proven to be unfounded, according to the European Palm Oil Alliance (EPOA).
Labour is about to set out its plans for improving public health if elected next year and while tougher regulation can be expected, sugar and fat taxes will not be part of the mix, it has emerged.
Changes to European labelling laws meaning the specific source of vegetable oil must be declared on pack could drive more food manufacturers to certified sustainable palm oil, according to one grower.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has updated its scientific advice on food allergens, taking into account latest published data on food allergy prevalence in Europe.
Consumers are generally able to use nutrition labelling systems to identify more and less healthy foods, but the use of different reference amounts may be confusing, say researchers.
Members of the European Parliament’s health and environment committee last night rejected a Commission proposal that would have updated novel foods rules to allow the use of nanoparticles.
Obesity costs the world nearly as much as armed conflict and needs a coordinated response from industry and governments, urges a new report from the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI).
Food companies are moving toward compliance with the upcoming Food Information for Consumers (FIC) regulation but many still have work to do, according to a new report.
International health campaigners have called for a binding treaty to tackle diet-related ill health in a letter to the heads of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
A greater focus on emotional training may be a more effective way of encouraging healthy food choices than nutritional training, according to research.
Consumers underestimate calorie counts for, and consume more of, foods from companies with positive corporate responsibility programmes, say researchers.
Past celiac research has focused on gluten wheat proteins as the cause of reactions, but researchers say there may be other non-gluten proteins in wheat also to blame.
A Channel 4 investigation into inorganic arsenic levels in rice has questioned the safety of products aimed at children like rice cakes and Kellogg's Rice Krispies - although all companies implicated say their levels fall within current recommendations.
Anti-lobbying campaigners have accused new European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker of putting the environment, consumers and workers at small companies at risk with a red-tape-cutting agenda.
UK Member of European Parliament (MEP) Glenis Willmott has sent a three-page letter to the Commission saying it should be considering making the UK’s traffic light label a mandatory pan-EU measure, instead of threatening it with court action.
Consumers are exploring new ways of educating themselves about food and increasingly are using mobile apps to make well-informed choices, according to Mintel's 'Consumer Trends 2015' report.
Energy drink consumption among young people, particularly in connection with alcohol, presents a significant public health concern that warrants further research and regulation, according to a report authored by World Health Organisation (WHO) officials.
The position of head of the directorate general for health and consumers (DG SANCO) will likely pass to Czech environmental politician Ladislav Miko following the resignation of Paola Testori Coggi, according to the European Commission.
The impact of ‘sin taxes’ on competitiveness and consumption habits, food prices, and sustainability were the key points on the agenda for the European Commission’s High Level Forum for a Better Functioning Food Supply Chain.
