Pressure groups Friends of the Earth (FoE) and GM Freeze have stepped up their campaign to derail EU safety guidelines for introducing genetically modified (GM) animals into Europe.
Wacker has won approval from the European Commission for the use of gamma-cyclodextrins, ring-shaped sugar molecules, as a clean label novel food ingredient.
DD Williamson looks set to benefit substantially from regulatory changes on both sides of the Atlantic, including the harmonisation of organic standards, the company claims.
DG Sanco has reignited the nutrient profiling debate by initiating a consultation with other parts of the European Commission to test support for it to set nutrient profiles under health claims legislation.
Scotland has created a stand-alone food safety agency as a backlash against the UK Government decision in 2010 to split the functions of the body and over concerns about toxic relations between its meat industry and London-based inspectors
Campaigners will today write to the UK Department of Health (DH) calling for strict limits on levels of 4-MEI, a chemical compound present in caramel colourings used in drinks such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi and linked to cancer in mice.
Any link between preterm delivery and consumption of artificial sweeteners has ‘not been proven’, finds a new report from the French Agency for Food Security.
The European Commission (EC) has warned 10 EU Member States that have failed to comply with the Regulation banning battery-caged hens that they could be facing legal action.
Global sweeteners firm Cargill has welcomed fresh guidance from Belgium on the labelling and advertising of steviol glycosides used to sweeten food products.
The average intake of salt in the UK population has fallen from 9.5 grams per day to 8.1, however consumption is still a long way from the 6 grams a day WHO target, says the UK Department of Health.
Barely a week goes by without another food company being challenged in court over its use of the word ‘natural’ – and it’s just a matter of time before the claim loses its front-and-center on-pack appeal.
Confectioners in Europe are under threat from an MEP’s report proposing to postpone abolishing EU sugar quotas until 2020, according to industry bodies whose members include Mars, Nestlé, Kraft and Ferrero.
The European Dietetic Food Industry Association (IDACE) says first-reading amendments to EU dietetic food laws approved in the European Parliament today can provide the basis for a ‘soft landing’ even as the current proposal sees the removal of images...
Consumers should not alter their eating habits in light of last week’s opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on the potential risks of mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) in foods, said UK officials.
The European Dairy Association (EDA) has welcomed a Dutch court decision stopping soy-based food and beverage manufacturer Alpro using the term ‘yogurt’ in isolation to market and advertise products.
Forget high taxes on unhealthy foods, health policy makers should be working with industry to help make the healthy options cheaper, argues Professor Jack Winkler.
Discussion continues over whether stevia compounds in food and drink products can be labelled as ‘natural’, with the weight of opinion favouring ‘from a natural source’ as a descriptor.
The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) saw an increase in the number of food incidents it investigated last year, according to its Annual Report of Incidents 2011, which was issued today.
Rising food prices across Europe are not attributable to a failure of competition dynamics in the food industry, according to a report just issued by the European Competition Network (ECN).
Scotland’s government would limit regulatory burdens on food and drink manufacturers, working in close cooperation with the industry, according to Richard Lochhead, cabinet secretary for rural affairs and the environment.
It’s official. Companies have six months – until December – to comply with the controversial European Union article 13, general function health claims register which today won final approval from the European Commission.
EU trade group FoodDrinkEurope teamed up with the European Commission (EC) on a delegation to the US at the end of last week aimed at building stronger export links.
Vitafoods celebrates its 15th birthday next week. It’ll be my 11th consecutive May visit to Geneva for the jamboree and promises to be one of the most intriguing chapters with the (partial and belated) resolution of years of ambiguity regarding health...
The European Union is set to harmonise the use of flavouring substances across the bloc after member states endorsed the Commission’s proposal to establish a list of permitted flavouring substances.
Voluntary steps to reduce trans fats, salt and calories in food and drink are achieving much more than 'intrusive regulation' would, according to the UK health secretary.
The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) has developed guidelines on glitters and dusts over fears that inedible decorations are being marketed for use in foods such as cakes.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has found that Monsanto’s MON810 genetically modified maize poses no risk to human health or the environment, based on data from the 2010 growing season.
The European Commission has said it has no intention of pursuing harmonisation of fat taxes but there are hints that it could be welcome further down the line.
A window of opportunity for a compromise deal over genetically modified (GM) crops in Europe is fading as it is not expected on the agenda of June’s environment council meeting.
Three years late and seeking further extensions, nutrient profiles remain the missing link in the European Union’s new health claim regime. Frustrated stakeholders say the time to decide is nigh.
French maize growers and seed companies have appealed a ban on the cultivation of Monsanto’s genetically modified maize to the country's highest court, arguing that the ban is unjustified and economically harmful.
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) is considering implementing rules that will see three quarters of breakfast cereals banned from advertising on children’s television programmes, according to the Irish Breakfast Cereal Association (IBCA).
Last week, Monika Kosinska, the secretary general of the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), engaged industry in a debate about the worthiness and effectiveness of taxes on unhealthier foods to spur reformulation and healthier eating.
Knowing more about the nutritional value of foods does not equate to increases in healthy eating and reductions in obesity, according to the findings of new research.
UK food safety authorities have issued a warning to food processors over the use of food grade chemicals from a Northern Ireland-based distributor following the death of a woman in Italy.
MEPs, debating the European Food Safety Authority’s finances and management board, have voted to delay the approval of the agency’s 2010 budget citing excessive costs of board meetings and questions over the Parma-based agency’s independence.
Dispatches from the 6th Nutrition & Lifestyle conference in Brussels
A 6-year project tackling obesity and other diet and physical activity-related health issues across the European Union has spawned 300 individual positive actions by government, commercial and other actors – and is not set to wind up until next year.
Dispatches from the 6th Nutrition & Lifestyle conference in Brussels
Industry has become accustomed to feeling annoyed and hamstrung by the European Union nutrition and health claims regulation, but UK consumer watchdog Which? told a conference today that the rules should be even more closely enforced to help baffled consumers.
Sweden may follow countries such as Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and Austria, and implement legislation to limit the use of trans fats in foods, according to local media.
Premier Foods, Unilever and Nestlé were among some of the UK’s biggest food and drink manufacturers to throw their weight behind the government’s new Responsibility Deal calorie reduction pledge.
Dutch ingredients firm Solanic has achieved self-affirmed generally recognised as safe status (SA GRAS) in the US for its natural potato protein isolates and claims the protein can help manufacturers achieve better quality gluten free bread.
A Brussels-based initiative on food information transparency using smart phone technology is gaining momentum with a broad stakeholder forum involving EU regulators, retailers and food manufacturers meeting on key project priorities yesterday.
The European Parliament’s Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI) has today voted to block the proposed veto to the Article 13 health claims register.
The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) has confirmed the accuracy of comments made by the dean of its dental faculty, urging that fruit juices be replaced with milk and water in UK schools during break times on dental health grounds.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a scientific opinion concluding that protein from goat’s milk is a suitable protein source for infant and follow-on formulae, provided the final product complies with compositional criteria.
Nestlé India has been charged by a court in Delhi for allegedly violating laws relating to the correct labeling of infant formula products and for associated failings regarding advertisements in women’s magazines, claims that the company denies.
