Manufacturers of children’s breakfast cereals and lunchbox snacks have been accused of misleading parents about high levels of salt, sugar and fat in a British Heart Foundation report.
Companies should check now whether their additives, enzymes and flavourings comply with the EU’s new Food Improvement Agent Package, says Xavier Lavigne, food law manager with nutrition policy consultancy EAS.
The European Commission is proposing a package of ways to safeguard affordable food for consumers, including investigation of retailer payment practices, EU-wide price monitoring, and examination of commodity market regulators.
Danisco's director of regulatory affairs explains what the newly adopted legislation on food additives and enzymes means for industry, and the question marks that remain.
The European Commission has imposed definitive anti-dumping duties on the additive from China, stating that the impact on firms using the additive will not be great.
New pest management legislation in Europe could result in crop production shifting to other countries and prices for commodities shooting up, a study has warned.
“Four legs good, two legs bad.” When the pigs take over the land in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, they have no hesitation; any creature with four legs is beyond reproach and any human is bad, mad and dangerous to know.
The rapporteur’s report on the food information proposal has elicited a positive initial reaction from industry, but some sticking points still remain.
The draft report on the European Commission’s proposal for the provision of food information to consumers in the EU suggests substantial amendments which would offer small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) more flexibility.
Additive and enzyme associations have welcomed the adoption of the new FIAP package on additives, flavourings and enzymes – but concern remains about the Southampton colours warning.
Allura Red is due to go up for discussion by the EFSA’s food additives panel in January, as the food safety agency fast tracks assessment of the ‘Southampton six’ in its broader review of food colourings used in the EU.
Soft drinks on sale in the UK were seen to have a near 100 per cent compliance with maximum levels of benzoates and sorbates used as preservatives, a survey by the Food Standards Agency has shown.
EU agriculture ministers yesterday agreed on further measures designed to progressively liberalise the bloc’s dairy sector, but industry associations have said these will simply lead to more market distortion.
Henry Hussell, European marketing manager for Cargill Sweetness, explains what the recent EU approval of erythritol's zero-calorie claim means for food manufacturers.
At HIE in Paris, NutraIngredients gained an exclusive interview with EFSA's chief health claim assessor, Professor Albert Flynn. EFSA has copped a lot of flak for its gold standard scientific approach, but Professor Flynn said his agency would not...
Ugly and misshapen fruit and vegetables are to be permitted for sale in Europe for the first time – but equal rights are still a dream for many grocery items covered by separate regulations.
UK ministers have agreed with a Food Standards Agency proposal on voluntary phasing out of the ‘Southampton six’ food colours by the end of 2009, according the agency’s chief executive.
UK food manufacturers claim the outcome of this week’s vote supporting tighter pesticide usage by the European Parliament’s environment committee fails to fully recognise the potential gravity of the emerging situation.
Barack Obama has pledged to bring change to his country. Three food industry executives discuss what his election could mean for food regulation and trade, and policy interplay with healthcare and energy.
French claims that a genetically modified maize product poses a potential health risk have been disputed by a newly published scientific report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
European consumers are generally aware of nutritional labelling systems and guideline daily amounts (GDA), according to a new survey – but not everyone actually looks for nutritional information on packaging.
At the time of writing, the US is poised to go to the polls. The next two days are going to be hugely exciting. And when it’s all over, after the victor gets some well-earned rest… he’ll rub his sleepy eyes and ask: ‘What’s for breakfast?'.
The issues of font size and co-existence of European and national front-of-pack nutrition schemes are still vital topics for discussions on the new labelling regulation, says the CIAA in advance of the rapporteur’s report.
A conference taking place in Brussels is examining how best to deal with emerging technologies like cloning and nanotechnology, and to ensure that consumer confidence is addressed.
After a ten-year struggle, Melton Mowbray pork pies have secured Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status to become the first cooked recipe-based product in the UK to receive the protection.
The UK’s Advertising Standards Agency has upheld complaints against two ‘misleading and inaccurate’ adverts for Nestle’s Maggi Noodles and GlaxoSmithKline’s Horlicks which made unsubstantiated health claims.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued a draft opinion that there are broad uncertainties over the safe use of nanotechnology for foodstuffs, and more research is recommended.
The European Commission has adopted a new decision to prohibit the import of all composite infant formula products containing milk and milk from China, and to require testing of all other Chinese milk-containing products.
The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) has formalised a commitment to bring its decision-making process more in line with the government’s policy on sustainable development, meaning it will have to reconsider some of its advice.
A new Eurobarometer survey that has revealed consumers’ views on animal cloning for food production to be overwhelmingly negative will be used by the Commission in its analysis of whether action is required on the subject, and if so, what kind.
The Australian food authority FSANZ has approved the natural sweetener steviol glycosides (stevia), as an ingredient in foods and beverages in Australia and New Zealand.
Antioxidant rosemary extracts are expected to be included in existing regulation on food additives while FIAP is being implemented, which will allow high purity extracts to go head-to-head with synthetic antioxidants in food products.
This story has been updated from the original published at 1400 CET, which erroneously stated that compliance was needed on labelling aspects of the new regulation by January 2009. FoodNavigator.com apologises for the confusion.
The issue of whether businesses are solely driven by profits and will not respond to voluntary guidance to improve the health effects of their products is a matter of hot debate in the British Medical Journal this week.
The European Food Safety Authority’s hard line stance on health claims is bewildering some, resigning others, but steeling most to meet its ‘gold standard’ scientific demands.
As the contamination of Chinese milk sends ripples through the global food industry, Eversheds lawyers Richard Matthews and Elizabeth Hyde lay out the due diligence procedures that food companies must go through when sourcing from outside the EU.
The European Food Safety Authority recently turned in its first health claim verdicts, rejecting eight of nine. European food regulations expert Lorène Courrège explains why EFSA’s tough health claim approach may stifle product innovation.
Most UK consumers are aware of guidance daily amounts (GDA) and traffic light labelling, but only one-in-four actually looks for nutritional information, according to a new survey from EUFIC.
The European Commission has published a new proposal to simplify company mergers and divisions, thereby reducing the administrative burden, especially for SMEs.
As global concern grows over the possible use of melamine-contaminated milk powder in biscuits, chocolate and other foods, the EFSA has deemed that, in the worst case, children could exceed the tolerable daily intake of the chemical by three times.
The UK’s Food Standards Agency is introducing a programme of industry secondments for its staff, so it can have better understanding of how compliance might work when it is developing or negotiating regulations.
The Australian and New Zealand food safety regulator is mulling a part reversal of a 1990s restriction on the use of coal-based dye erythrosine, after receiving a petition for its use in colourings for bakery icings.
A proposal to send unspent EU subsidies to developing countries worst hit by food price rises would have knock-on benefits for the EU, according to the rapporteur leading a Development Committee debate yesterday.
Calls to ban the Southampton colours are reverberating around the world, as week campaigners in Australia called on FSANZ to phase out the additives implicated in hyperactivity like its UK counterpart.
As Scotland moves a step nearer to potentially adopting new proposals on raising the legal drinking age at off-trade retail outlets, the European Union says it cannot impose similar mandatory regulation across the bloc.
Imperfect as they may be, the European Union’s regulatory efforts in the food area have attracted the attention of regulators around the world, some of whom view what is being done in the bloc as a legislative template.