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 whole world must make huge effort and investment to shift toward sustainable farming and food production, FAO director-general José Graziano da Silva has said.
Food security is vital to the food industry in both developing and developed countries, but what does ‘food security’ really mean, how do we measure it, and can we really solve the problems facing us?
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.
Public health campaigners have criticised Coca-Cola's sponsorship of tourist attraction the London Eye, saying this could exacerbate sugar consumption and related health issues.
Products containing genetically modified ingredients will still be required to be labelled as such in the future, despite fears that protection standards could suffer because of new trade agreements.
“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.
European organic agriculture lags behind growing demand for organic food, but new EU rules in the pipeline are creating uncertainty in the sector at just the wrong time, says Soil Association head of standards Chris Atkinson.
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.
The food industry must promote about its health benefits or risk being sidelined in the lead-up to the General Election in May, according to the chairman of the Oxford Farming Conference.
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.
The French food agency failed to take on the full health picture and missed a good opportunity for public health change with its dismissal of sweetener benefits, according to the International Sweeteners Association (ISA).
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.
The European Parliament has voted to allow national bans on GM crops, but this could actually encourage more GM varieties to be cultivated in Europe, claims UK organic advocacy group The Soil Association.
Recommending intense sweeteners as a way to reduce sugar intakes cannot be justified as a public health strategy, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) has concluded.
The impact of mandatory origin labelling and progress on trade agreements are on FoodDrinkEurope’s priority wish list for the Latvian presidency of the EU Council.
Asda’s promise to reduce added sugar in some of its own brand drinks this year is a positive step forward – but it also reveals the chaotic approach to sugar reduction in the UK, according to Action on Sugar.
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.
Governmental and institutional actions are needed urgently to reduce the estimated 1.8 million tonnes of water – per person - used in food production around the globe, a UK group has urged.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has rejected a novel foods application for the South American root vegetable arracacha xanthorrhiza after the applicant failed to provide sufficient information.
The European Commission has vowed to preserve protected geographical indications (PGIs) for food and drink after coming under pressure to soften the rules in trade talks with the US.
The European Union needs to update the way it regulates biotechnology as advances are made in plant breeding – or risk disrupting trade in commodity crops, according to Professor Huw Jones of Rothamsted Research.
168 human publications including 48 intervention studies, 20 observational studies, 12 meta-analyses, 13 reviews, and 75 other studies (bioavailability and mechanistic studies) have failed to convince the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) that fat-free...
Tesco UK has rolled-out its sweet-free checkout policy across convenience stores leaving space for snack makers to gobble up share, but some listing rules have been touted ‘deplorable’ by industry.
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.
Improving global nutrition won’t be achieved unless, “the roles of politics, economics, and institutions” can be better understood, The Lancet has reported.
Luxembourg’s food safety authority has said it will not relax novel food laws prohibiting the sale of edible insects without specific Commission approval.
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.
The EU Food Information to Consumers (FIC) regulation has been the biggest challenge for snack makers during 2014 and difficulties aren’t over yet, says the European Snacks Association (ESA).
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).
Manufacturers face tougher legal restrictions on the levels of the carcinogen acrylamide permitted in food, after the failure of many parts of the industry to cut them by voluntary measures.
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).
Renewed calls to attack health problems by taxing sugary drinks have been slammed by a leading nutritionist, who claims cutting portion sizes and sugar content and tackling irresponsible retail promotions would be better.
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.
New technologies are vital to the future growth of the food and nutrition industry, but their future success depends on much more than the science behind them.
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).
The European Parliament and member states have agreed rules to allow member states to ban or restrict the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops, even when they are approved at EU level.
Food manufacturers and palm oil producers could have a legal case against companies labelling products ‘palm oil free’, according to Paris-based lawyer Anne Bourdu.
