The UK government is looking to set up a food analysis system, which would test for the levels of sweeteners found in certain products to ensure their safe use.
The Provision Trade Federation (PTF) and other trade organisations representing the meat industry, which oppose compulsory EU extensions of country of origin labelling (COOL), will meet DEFRA in mid-September to discuss voluntary alternatives.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has confirmed its earlier opinion that 400g is an appropriate size for a large portion of shellfish, for marine biotoxins not to pose a risk to human health.
Meat from the offspring of a cloned cow, raised and slaughtered in the UK has been exported to Belgium, the UK’s Food Standards Agency has confirmed. But Belgian authorities say there is no food safety issue, so no rapid alert was required.
Big oops. Meat and milk from the offspring of cloned animals has entered the UK food chain. Cue scary headlines and scared consumers. But the leviathan of EU-lawmaking means no-one actually knows if it’s legal or not. And that’s an even bigger oops.
The Indian Ministry of Health has approved the use of Beneo’s low GI Isomalt sweetener in a raft of new food categories, including Indian sweets and more Western-style foods.
Leading soy supplier Solae has criticised the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for a selective approach that saw the agency’s health claims panel dismiss upward of 30 human intervention studies contained in an article 14, soy protein, cholesterol-lowering...
The European Food Safety Authority is urging member states to step up monitoring of the carcinogen furan in food products, in a bid to amass enough data to inform a dietary risk assessment.
The European Commission has upgraded the High Level Group on Competitiveness in the Agri-Food Industry to a High Level Forum which will pursue and report on progress towards the group’s 30 recommendations.
The European Commission authorized six genetically modified (GM) maize varieties for food and feed use on Wednesday after member states failed to return majority decisions for or against on three occasions.
The European Food Safety Authority has established a new, lower acceptable daily intake for the food colouring amaranth after re-evaluating the scientific evidence for its safety, a suggests that new specifications also be set.
A clutch of widely-used nutrition claims from ‘no added salt’ and ‘low-Gi’ to ‘10% less fat’ remain in a state of legal limbo as discussions over whether to allow them under the health claims Regulation drag on.
The perspective of food manufacturers and other stakeholders on the costs and benefits of enforcement provisions for the new EU Regulation on food flavourings is being sought from the UK Food Standards Agency during a three month consultation phase.
The UK government has ended speculation about the future of the Food Standards Agency (FSA), announcing that the body will retain its food safety remit but be stripped, in England, of responsibility for nutrition policy and country of origin (COOL) labelling.
Measures to restrict the advertising of unhealthy foods to children should be set by governments and not by industry, says the author of a review funded by the European Union.
The European Commission has unveiled new proposals to give EU member states the right to decide whether or not to cultivate genetically-modified crops – a move that could speed up approvals but which has led to fears over market distortion.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has highlighted “reservations” about the safety of certain food flavouring substances, suggesting that further evaluation is needed to confirm that these do not harm human health.
Rumours that the Food Standards Agency could close have drawn concerns of long-term public health costs; while a lawyer says the government send its functions to two government departments without going through parliamentary procedures.
The use of erythritol in beverages at a proposed level of 2.5 per cent could cause a safety concern for small children, EFSA says, as the margin between estimated daily intake and the no-observed-adverse-effects-level (NOAEL) is too small.
The European Court of Justice this week ruled that Monsanto cannot claim patent protection in Europe for inactive DNA sequences in imported GM soymeal, a judgement that lawyers believe could stimulate more imports of produce with inactive DNA.
There is “no evidence” to suggest that the Change4Life initiative has helped to improve the eating habits or lifestyles of the most vulnerable people, according to one health expert.
Members of the European Parliament have voted against including meat or milk from cloned animals under the new novel foods regulation, an outcome that makes conciliation procedure likely unless the Council accepts the position.
The first global limits on permitted melamine levels in food were set yesterday (Tues) by the World Health Organisation (WHO) at its annual food safety summit in Switzerland.
New European Commission import restrictions on Indian guar gum have now been written into Indian regulations, which industry experts hope will speed up the supply process.
The flavour industry is taking a suck-it-and-see view of the new guidance on approvals dossiers published by EFSA, but is generally positive that firms can now deliver data to meet panel expectations.
The new European organic logo is now mandatory on pre-packaged organic food and beverage products produced in the bloc, after new labelling regulations came into force on July 1.
The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) is calling for comments from the nation’s food industry on proposed changes to EU food additive legislation to ensure all current additive uses are included in the new lists.
The European Food Safety Authority has published its final guidance for data required to assess new food flavourings, and is looking to build on experience gained during evaluations to establish a positive list.
The Belgian food industry is looking to forge a lasting partnership between the authorities and the private sector in the wake of the country’s elections, helping to create a stable framework that would give sufficient guarantees for long term investment.
Always read the small print. Good advice and nowhere more so than in food labelling with today’s increasingly savvy consumers demanding to know what’s in their food, where it came from and what it’s going to do to them.
Representatives of Europe wide confectionery, biscuit and chocolate makers have given a cautious backing to the much-anticipated EU parliament vote on amendments to the proposed food information regulation, which has come out in favour of industry supported...
‘Natural’ has become a word consumers like to see on food product packages, while ‘clean label’ is an industry term to describe an E-number-free ingredients list. But exact definitions depend on who you are talking to, and what additive you are taking...
The food industry has been blasted by lobby group CASH (Consensus Action on Salt & Health) for the fifth time this year, this time for adding dangerously high levels of salt to barbecue foods.
Members of the European Parliament have voted to put back clauses on nutrient profiling into the proposed food information regulation, after Environment Committee members voted to take them out – but it was a close call.
The much-anticipated EU parliament vote on amendments to the proposed food information regulation came down on the side of the industry’s own GDAs – to the chagrin of health groups believe traffic lights are more accessible.
A German health consultancy is proposing a simple new scale for displaying nutritional information on foods which it says performs well on consumer understanding in comparison with GDAs.
Health and consumer groups are lobbying against the deletion of nutrient profiling in from the proposed regulation on food information ahead of tomorrow’s Parliament vote over fears that consumers could be misled.
The Italian food industry federation Federalimentare is lobbying for the deletion of chapter VI of the draft food information regulation, on the grounds that it will harm competitiveness and confuse consumers.
Food policy in Belgium is unlikely to be impacted by a shifting political focus, says the country’s food industry association after yesterday’s elections.
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has strongly recommended that nanosilver not be used in consumer goods, including foods as well as cosmetics and textiles.
Regulatory definitions of 'natural' are not in line with consumer understanding of the term, a discrepancy that is causing big headaches for the food and drink industry, according to one senior executive at Coca-Cola.
The European Commission is planning to set up a new forum on the effectiveness of the European food chain by the end of this month, industry Commissioner Antonio Trajani said yesterday, as part of efforts to improve the agri-food industry’s competitiveness.
The European Commission has published precise recommendations for the monitoring of acrylamide levels in food products, as the reduction of levels is patchy across categories.
