Self-regulation has not been effective in protecting children from junk food marketing – although industry-backed studies suggest otherwise, according to a new review.
The UK government addressed its Alcohol Strategy consultation yesterday by ditching controversial plans to introduce minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol, to applause from industry and outrage from health groups…
Today's podcast rounds up two UK drinks adverts involving a Diet Coke hunk, a lawnmower and a Chinook helicopter from Coke and Heineken, which led to Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) adjudications.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has said it aims to complete a draft opinion on the toxicity of acrylamide for humans, and open it for public comments, by mid 2014 - with a final scientific opinion scheduled for the first half of 2015.
The US FDA has issued a ‘No Objection’ GRAS letter allowing beverage manufacturers to use Pure Circle’s high-purity Reb D stevia to sweeten US products, a move that could reignite the Pepsi/Coke cola wars.
Developing a better understanding of the food industry, including its complex supply chains, is a key recommendation of a new report commissioned by the Scottish government to learn the lessons of the horsemeat crisis.
The director-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the food and drink industry’s involvement in public health policy is ‘dangerous’ and has urged governments to put public health before business, at a global health promotion conference...
Traffic light labelling should be rolled out across Europe, according to British MEP Glenis Willmott, following the UK’s introduction of a hybrid labelling system that includes GDAs (guideline daily amounts) as well as colour coding last month.
The European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA) says there is no need for separate sports products regulation as general food law is sufficient, ahead of a European Commission report on the matter due within two years.
European institutions reached a deal on reforming the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on Wednesday, including a compromise that will end sugar quotas by 2017.
Animal rights group PETA has been banned from comparing the health effects of eating meat with smoking risks, the UK’s Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has ruled.
Last week, the UK introduced a voluntary front-of-pack nutrition labelling system combining GDAs with traffic light colours. The European food industry is up in arms – but it has no good reason to be.
The Italian food industry has said it is deeply concerned by the UK government’s decision to recommend traffic light colour coding as part of its front-of-pack nutrition labelling programme, saying that it is not based on sound science.
Chia oil can safely enter EU markets for the first time as long as potential allergenic effects are labelled, the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has concluded in a draft EU novel foods opinion.
Europe risks being left behind the rest of the world unless it adopts genetically modified (GM) crops, the UK environment minister Owen Paterson is expected to say this morning.
Food processors could face soaring costs for official inspections as a consequence of the European Commission’s (EC’s) attempt to standardise ‘official controls’ governing food safety regulation across the EU.
The UK’s adoption of a voluntary hybrid labelling scheme that combines guideline daily amounts (GDAs) and traffic light colour coding could lead to a proliferation of national schemes and fragment the EU internal market, claims FoodDrinkEurope.
The food industry is ‘exploiting children’ in its marketing of unhealthy food, according to a new report from the World Health Organisation (WHO), which calls for stricter marketing controls, particularly in light of new technologies like smart phone...
Most food and drink manufacturers have welcomed the launch of a new front-of-pack, voluntary food labelling system by the Department of Health (DH) today (June 19). But some big firms have refused to sign.
European food industry trade body FoodDrinkEurope has welcomed formal negotiations between the European Union and the United States on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), announced at the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has recommended further safety tests for six food dyes – including five of the so-called Southampton Six colours – although it says currently there is no reason to revise the acceptable daily intake (ADI).
The impression I have always had when travelling abroad is that people overseas think of India as a Hindu-dominated country with a minority sprinkling of other religions. While that its true in essence, it is a fallacy when you talk in numbers.
It is no secret Malaysia has a strict halal verification process and its certification is accepted across all Muslim countries, including the Middle East. But why did the country embark on a policy to tame the standards beast.
Greek yoghurt giant Chobani has reintroduced its ‘strained’ yoghurt in the UK after a court ruled that it was misleading consumers by calling its US-produced yoghurt ‘Greek’.
Two ingredients – fructose and alpha-cyclodextrin – can now carry claims that they lead to a lower blood glucose rise, as the European Union adopts its latest batch of article 13 health claims.
A public body that advises the UK National Health Service (NHS) has revised its position that heart attack patients can benefit from omega-3 consumption to prevent further attacks, in a move labeled “misguided” by the omega-3 sector.
When you are catering to 1.8bn Muslim shoppers in a market that, according to The Economist, is likely to grow by 35% by 2030, there is bound to be a degree of fragmentation, but when it comes to halal, it is often more a case of disorganisation.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has said that weaknesses in a recent study published by UK authorities mean it will not affect conclusions on the links between pesticides and bee health.
EFSA says it has already made significant changes to prevent future conflicts of interests arising, but adds that it will give ‘careful and detailed consideration’ to new recommendations made by the EU Ombudsman.
The long-awaited reform of EU rules governing ‘special’ foods like baby and gluten-free foods, is imminent with a June 11 vote to mandate the changes – and most stakeholders satisfied with the likely ratification.
The European Food Safety Authority failed to take adequate measures to prevent conflict of interests arising from a major 'revolving doors' case in 2008, according to a final EU Ombudsman ruling on the case.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has added a fourth insecticide to its list of chemicals suspected of playing a role in declining bee populations.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued guidance on how to evaluate the introduction of genetically modified (GM) animals in the European Union.
The European Commission and member states have voted to ban a flavouring compound, following an EFSA opinion on its safety published last week, which found that the ingredient was of concern.
Industry trade group FoodDrinkEurope has welcomed an anti-VAT fraud package under discussion in the EU, saying that the food and drink sector is greatly impacted by VAT tax fraudsters.
Incentivising the sale of healthy foods at the supermarket checkout could be more effective than food taxation for improving food choices, suggests a letter published in the BMJ.
A group of European health organisations has urged European Commission president José Manuel Barroso to issue a proposal on nutrient profiling as part of a wider EU goal to reduce premature deaths.
Nations and populations are in peril of being swamped by the cost of their healthcare systems unless a severe nutrition policy rethink can occur, says a leading academic.
The European Commission has urged increased global use of its PGI (protected geographical indication) system to increase trade in foods from African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states, while encouraging sustainable production practices.
European fisheries ministers have agreed on an overhaul of the Common Fisheries Policy, with the hope that it will end decades of arguing over fishing quotas and help rebuild fish stocks.
The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) has injected £500,000 into funding food safety, authenticity and traceability research in collaboration with the Technology Strategy Board (TSB).
Now that the dust has settled on the health claims submission process we should all be very clear on the rules of engagement. Well kind of, says Nigel Baldwin, chief consultant in Intertek’s European office.
EU governments should refrain from ‘discriminatory’ food taxes and take a more holistic approach to obesity prevention, according to a joint position paper from FoodDrinkEurope and trade union organisation EFFAT.
The European Commission has proposed reduced legislation and tougher fines among a raft of measures to protect against food fraud in light of the recent horse meat scandal.
Organic food brands should not be afraid of using health claims to market their products, as a new study suggests the two concepts are not as incompatible as the industry may fear.
The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) are still failing when it comes to protecting children from the online marketing of junk food, according to a new report from the Children’s Food Campaign.
The EU’s long-winded novel foods rules have long been viewed as an innovation-crimping legal structure, but a stream-lining of the process means companies should not fear it, a consultant says.
