November 2011 should see steviol glycosides get regulatory backing for use in food in drink products in the European market, according to a European Commission (EC) representative.
More research is needed to appreciate how consumers can be helped to understand and use nutrition labels, according to a new report on nutrition labelling from the European Food Information Council (EUFIC).
There is no health risk arising from European consumers' intake levels of the mycotoxin zearalenone, said the EU risk assessor, in an evaluation of dietary exposure to the contaminant associated with grain and bakery products.
The State Food and Drug Administration of China has banned eight food products made by four mainland firms after they were found to be contaminated by an industrial chemical.
Optional cholesterol labelling of food products may soon be banned in the European Union if a draft regulation on food information to consumers passes in its existing form.
EU-wide food labelling regulations have moved a step closer to being adopted following a “breakthrough” in negotiations, according to European Parliament Rapporteur, Renate Sommer.
The Danish government has clarified that Marmite is not in fact banned, but merely in need of a marketing authorisation as per European Union health claim rules.
Germany has indicated it will conduct a review into the effectiveness of its response to the huge outbreak of E.coli as it sought to rebut growing unease that it appeared no nearer confirming the source of the deadly bacteria.
The European Commission has defended its decision to release thousands of tonnes of sugar on to the market after accusations that the move would have a detrimental impact on the yeast industry.
After years of debate around the issue of labelling of genetically modified or engineered foods the Codex Committee on Food Labelling has decided to abandon work on a definition of the term biotechnology.
Two artificial flavours that can be used in a wide variety of food and drink products offer “no safety concerns” at the tested levels, according to EFSA’s latest scientific opinion.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has publically called for scientific data on aspartame for consideration in its full re-evaluation, but there is no reason for fresh assessment according to one expert.
EFSA plans to issue a public call for new data on aspartame in the coming weeks; meanwhile, producer Ajinomoto has welcomed the Commission’s request for fast-tracked reevaluation of the sweetener, saying it will give EFSA the opportunity to restate its...
European Commission measures to open a further 200,000 tonne import quota for raw or refined sugar at zero import duty and the possibility for further imports at reduced import duty via a tendering system have been backed by member states.
MEPs have voted to allow nectar manufacturers to drop “with added sugar” labelling and to permit tangerine juice to be added to orange juices made in the EU.
The vast majority of organic food operators in Finland were in compliance with EU regulations last year, according to the national food safety agency Evira’s report following the 4367 inspections in 2010 – but control decisions should be taken more quickly.
The European Council has rejected MEP claims that its legal experts believed a ban on food from cloned animals would not contravene international law and spark a global trade war.
The long-standing dispute within the cranberry industry about the most appropriate way to measure the urinary tract infection (UTI)-battling berry’s active constituents was resolved in France recently when a government body backed a version of the DMAC...
Australia and New Zealand’s food standards body has approved an application for higher maximum permitted levels of steviol glycosides in ice cream and several beverage categories, which will enable a more acceptable taste profile in finished products.
The European Parliament has urged Brussels to come up with new measures on animal cloning as a “matter of urgency” to secure consumers rights after a failure to reach an agreement on the issue six weeks ago derailed the entire novel foods regulation.
Recent calls from Members of European Parliament (MEPs) for warning labels on products containing artificial sweeteners are 'totally unnecessary', according to Professor Andrew Renwick.
EFSA’s panel on additives and nutrient sources (ANS) has concluded that the ADI of natural red-orange colour lutein may be extended to extracts of Tagetes erecta with at least 60 per cent total carotenoids as esters, after the examination of new data...
Corporate nutritionist Kate Cook has attacked the government’s Responsibility Deal for a “one-dimensional approach” to calorie labelling on food that risks damaging sales of foods such as salmon and endangering public health.
Categorising nano-based materials into hazard bands is the core of a new risk assessment technique put forward by French authorities as regulatory bodies continue to explore ways to manage possible threats from the ground-breaking technology.
The European Food Safety Authority has begun rolling out its re-organisation programme to enable it better to cope with its increasing workload, but according to a consultant EFSA’s structures for assessing dossiers mirror legislation.
In their current form new EU food labelling proposals would make regulatory requirements for the dairy industry more complex and burdensome, claims the European Dairy Association (EDA).
A free trade agreement between the EU and Japan that eliminates tariffs and non-tariff barriers for EU food and drink products would enable European manufacturers better to cater to a high potential market, the CIAA tells policy makers.
Cargill’s takeover of Schwartauer KVB has been cleared by the European Commission, giving the US giant the green light to phase in the operations of the German semi-finished cocoa supplier.
Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) discussions exposed ignorance among Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) about the food manufacturing and supply chain, said Nick Stuart, Biscuit, Cake, Chocolate and Confectionery (BCCC) sector group chairman.
Rosemary extracts can now be used as antioxidants in organic food in the EU provided they are from organically-grown rosemary and ethanol is used for the extraction, following an amendment to the annex of the 2008 organic regulation.
The European Parliament’s Environment committee is pushing for a warning label on products containing aspartame stating that they may not be suitable for pregnant women – despite opinions from EFSA and the French food safety ANSES that scientific evidence...
Manufacturers risk new nanotechnology-based food products being rejected in a similar way to genetically modified (GM) foods, unless they start engaging with consumers over their perceptions of the risks involved, a new Food Standards Agency (FSA) commissioned...
‘I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter!’ When it comes to transparency you can’t get much clearer than Unilever’s famous exclamation-turned-margarine-brand. But new labelling rules to prevent one food masquerading as another should distinguish between intent...
Industry federation the CIAA has branded MEP’s desire for mandatory labelling of trans fats on food and beverage products as ‘a step too far’, supporting the council view that trans fats info should be voluntary.
The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has rejected media reports that it plans to scrap Best-before labels in a bid to cut the 8.3m tonnes of food thrown away by households each year.
Country of origin labelling may harm small businesses, and is likely to prove the trickiest point in trilogues over food information, says rapporteur MEP Renate Sommer after today’s ENVI vote. She suspects some member states’ votes may have been influenced...
The future of Best before labels in the UK is shrouded in uncertainty following media reports that the UK government is considering scrapping them in an attempt to cut the 8.3m tonnes of food thrown away by households each year.
One expert has branded the proposed new EU food information legislation “crazy” ahead of a second vote on the issue by Parliament's Environment, Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI) tomorrow.
Produce from cloned animals and their off-spring will be removed from the new novel foods proposal and place in a separate legislative proposal of its own, the Health and Consumer Protection Commission John Dalli confirms.
Intense and bulk sweetener suppliers are basking in the glow of positive sugar replacement health claim opinions issued by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) last week.
In the first part of this special on risk communication, FoodNavigator looks at the often highly contradictory and inconclusive data that can surround a single ingredient or food, and how that information is best relayed to the public.
The European Parliament’s ENVI committee will seek to hammer out compromises over several contentious amendments of the new food information legislation tomorrow, ahead of the second reading vote next week.
The European Union has further strengthened import controls on food from Japan in the wake of the nuclear disaster triggered by the devastating tsunami last month.
The Japanese government may need to entirely re-think its food security strategy as the full consequences of last month’s earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster become clear, as imports are likely to increase.
Research and development (R&D) champion Unilever has voiced deep disappointment and frustration over the collapse of talks reviewing the 1997 EU Novel Foods Regulation, claiming it will hamper food and drink manufacturers' innovation plans.
All is not well down on the novel foods farm. If food innovation in Europe is to thrive anew, MEPs and the Council need to get past the recriminations over the failed talks and remove the troublesome question of cloned foods from the negotiating table.
