UK consumer advocates, demanding that responsibilities for nutrition and food labelling be given back to Food Standards Agency (FSA), say not enough is being done to tackle the obesity epidemic.
MEPs yesterday backed proposals aimed at resolving the 24-year beef ‘trade war’ between the EU, the US and Canada, while prospects look brighter for an end to ban on EU beef based on BSE risk review.
UK food safety authorities have proposed a complete rework of the 1991 Northern Ireland Food Safety Regulation, after admitting that the current measures are “out of date.”
The board of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) will decide, during a March 20 meeting, whether to review current rules governing the sale and marketing of unpasteurised, or raw, drinking milk and cream after producers used novel sales routes such as the...
EU environment ministers have rejected a compromise proposal from Denmark that bid to break the deadlock over the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops in Europe.
Polish food safety authorities have put the European Union (EU) on alert after it initiated legal action against three companies that sold industrial salt as salt intended for human consumption.
The Provision Trade Federation (PTF) says it has little sympathy for the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), which admits that it is under pressure to remove cheese compositional standards from the pending Food Information Regulation...
Irish MEP Marian Harkin has become one of the most vocal European parliamentary opponents of the interpretation and application of the EU nutrition and health claims regulation (NHCR), and she was not appeased by EC and EFSA statements at a specially...
Europol, Europe’s central law enforcement agency, plans to continue its fight against the growing presence of organised crime in areas of food through a repeat of last November’s Europe-wide crackdown on food crime - Operation Opson.
Nearly three quarters (73%) of FoodNavigator readers believe the European Commission should heed to calls to ban genetically crops, according to the results of our recent poll.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has announced new implementing rules on how to manage declarations of interest and independence in its scientific decision making process.
The requirement for “active farmers” under the latest proposals to reform to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) could hit those who derive most of their income from activities other than farming, such as food manufacture, an expert has warned
The added bureaucracy of legal limits for acrylamide in foods is preventable as industry efforts to reduce levels have been sufficient, says the Food and Drink Federation (FDF).
A new organic trade deal between the EU and the US will eliminate much of the costs for producers, particularly small and medium scale firms, looking to leverage both markets, claim trade groups.
Growth opportunities are being stymied in sectors such as the soft drinks industry due to uncertainty over sugar supply in the EU market, claims a leading UK trade body.
The complexity of measuring the impact of food taxes on health and a call for a reduction in taxes on healthier food groups was raised at the recent plenary session of the EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health.
The recent veto of 'percentage less' claims by MEPs is indicative of a lack of trust in the food industry, said the UK trade group, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), which is intent on continuing to push for such amendments to the health...
Anyone who has spent any appreciable amount of time working in the food industry realises that the issue of ‘junk food’ marketing to children is a hydra that rears two heads for every one cut off.
Russia announced on Tuesday that it had banned cheese imports from Ukraine’s three largest cheese producers due to the presence of vegetable oils, but one processor has hit back at the ban, while reports suggest the move could reflect higher political...
Nestlé has leapt to the defence of its Nesquik milk-based drinks brand, after the Children’s Food Campaign (CFC) lodged a ‘super complaint’ with the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), complaining that well-known beverage and food brands were targeting...
The Commission has move to clear up any confusion related to aspects of the new food labeling regulation for small and medium sized food companies in the EU.
Calls for increased taxation and tighter regulation of sugar, to bring it into line with alcohol and cigarettes, have been branded ineffective, flawed, and naive, by academic experts and industry in Europe.
The European Commission said it strongly regrets the European Parliament’s decision yesterday to veto the ‘percentage less’ claims on foods, claiming its proposal, if backed, would have favoured industry efforts to reformulation.
The European Parliament has blocked a proposal to amend food labelling laws that would have allowed new 'percentage less' claims on nutrition content, such as sugar, salt and fat - a move the food industry says is a bitter pill for the food...
The UK advertising watchdog has ruled in favour of breakfast cereal giant Kellogg’s in relation to a complaint that a TV advert for a cereal was misleading in relation to its nutritional content.
A committee of MEPs is calling on the European Commission (EC) to consider legislating against use of child labour in cocoa plantations that fuel the EU's demand for chocolate, while the world's largest food firm Nestle has outlined its measures...
MEPs have rejected the revised nutrition claims list recently adopted by the European Commission, a move which could be detrimental for reformulation efforts in the food sector says a trade body.
Honey producers and importers in the EU and elsewhere face legal and economic uncertainty arising out last autumn’s European Court of Justice’s (ECJ) ruling, claims a legal expert calling for an amendment of the Regulation to exclude honey.
Importers of food and drink to European countries that impose a ‘sin’ or ‘fat’ tax should pay close attention to how it impacts the market, according to one expert specialising in EU food law.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), in its newly released scientific strategy 2012-2016, said it has put in place a comprehensive system to record and evaluate the declared interests of scientific experts and to manage any conflicts of interest.
Stepwise fat, salt and sugar reduction may be more successful than a drastic decrease that would not meet consumers’ expectations in terms of taste, claims DG Sanco.
European consumers group, BEUC, claims the proposed “now 15% less” nutrition claim on foods, which is set to be debated by MEPs next week, is confusing and misleading for consumers.
Mafia involvement in the Italian food industry is rife, with revenue from the agriculture and food sector generating 5.6% of the entire organised crime business in the country, finds a new parliamentary report.
An MEP has questioned the validity of the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) review of aspartame following what she claims was support from the agency’s scientists for a statement backing the safety of the sweetener.
A Danish meat lobby group is suing the Danish government over the country’s recently introduced 'fat tax' on foods, claiming the levy fails to comply with EU legislation.
Retailers need to work with manufacturers and regulators to track the impact of systems such as traffic light labelling on consumer purchasing behaviour of food and drink products, stresses a Brussels-based consumer information group as it releases a...
The European Union should put the brakes on any mooted changes to rules governing milks targeting 1-3 year olds until a scientific review can be conducted, according to the EU group that represents infant food makers.
Barry Callebaut has submitted an article 13.5 health claim dossier to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) linking cocoa flavanols and healthy blood flow.
A Brussels-based food industry body, setting out what it sees as priorities for the new Danish Presidency of the EU Council, again calls for an end to food taxes, greater support for SMEs, tighter trade relations and a more transparent commodities market.
US Pharmacopeia has drafted new ingredient quality standards for inclusion in the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC), for probiotics, steviol glycosides, benzoates, infant formula and flavoring ingredients, and is seeking industry comments.
The European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (UEAPME) has stated its support for industry members opposed to ‘burdensome’ food taxes introduced by some European nations.
Pro-breast feeding advocates and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are throwing their support behind mooted amendments to the European Union PARNUTS Directive they believe can improve the safety, quality and marketing transparency of infant formulas...
A European Commission regulation requiring products labelled ‘gluten-free’ to contain below a maximum gluten content level came into full force yesterday.
EC regulations implemented last year that require natural flavouring substances to be identical to something found in nature will greatly impact the industry, according to a report assessing the new regulation.
