The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will affect every European food company – for better or worse – according to a trade law expert at DWF LLP.
The European Commission is calling its Better Regulation initiative 'radical and different' - but consumer groups say power is being handed over to big businesses and that consumers will suffer from weakened food policy.
Chinese scientists have successfully reared beef cattle rich in the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA – which are traditionally associated with fish oils.
EU ministers have failed to reach an agreement on proposed changes to EU organic regulation, pushing back a vote until June – a standstill that is welcomed by organic farming associations.
It is time for the food industry to demonstrate that the natural, healthy food we eat is the result of food science and innovation, says one expert – but opinion is divided over how to achieve this.
The organic sector has cultivated a culture of ethical awareness among consumers that conventional manufacturers are now cashing in on – and new product development is vital for the sector to retain its value, say experts.
With working class households making up nearly one third of sales, organic is no longer a middle-class preserve - and some say it is even fueling Britain's 'foodie' culture.
The use of certain biotechnologies could support organic production in the future – although the currently approved ‘cross-species’ GM technologies are the biggest threat to the organic food system, says Christopher Stopes.
A European Commission review on genetically modified (GM) products could deliver regulations that allow individual countries to ban or authorise consumption of GMOs in food or feed. But concerns about the regulation have been raised by both pro-GM and...
Organic sales are growing but the sector remains niche with market share in single figures, says one industry group – but innovative practice and partnerships could change this.
Big Food needs to care more; start-ups can’t feed a planet housing 9bn people in 2050; and genuine disruptive technologies are spawning and spinning faster than flapping butterfly wings…So, er, stay calm and keep making (hopefully healthy) food.
As MEPs prepare to discuss proposed amendments to TTIP’s investor principle in Riga next week, the European Commission says that most of the controversy springs from ‘common misconceptions’.
The TTIP trade agreement pitches European legislative sovereignty against the workings of “free trade liars,” says the director of NGO Foodwatch Thilo Bode.
By producing stevia through fermentation and solvent-based extraction the industry risks losing its most promising natural sweetener - but this may create a new market for new niche stevia products, say analysts.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) may ask firms for more data on GM crop safety in applications for reauthorisation required after ten years, which experts say could lead to confusion and unnecessary paperwork for both company and assessor.
EU member states have voted to allow national governments to ban or restrict cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops even when approved at EU level, meaning the new rules will be written into law.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has been told to revise its conflict of interest rules, after the European Ombudsman received complaints that GM working group members failed to provide full details of their indirect financial relationships with...
Food security is vital to the food industry in both developing and developed countries, but what does ‘food security’ really mean, how do we measure it, and can we really solve the problems facing us?
Products containing genetically modified ingredients will still be required to be labelled as such in the future, despite fears that protection standards could suffer because of new trade agreements.
The European Parliament has voted to allow national bans on GM crops, but this could actually encourage more GM varieties to be cultivated in Europe, claims UK organic advocacy group The Soil Association.
The European Union needs to update the way it regulates biotechnology as advances are made in plant breeding – or risk disrupting trade in commodity crops, according to Professor Huw Jones of Rothamsted Research.
A new competitor has arrived on the plant-based omega-3s scene with the announcement of FDA no-objection GRAS status for Ahiflower oil, an ingredient from Technology Crops International. The oil offers a balance of omega-3, -6 and -9, according to the...
New technologies are vital to the future growth of the food and nutrition industry, but their future success depends on much more than the science behind them.
The European Parliament and member states have agreed rules to allow member states to ban or restrict the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops, even when they are approved at EU level.
Current European restrictions on genetically modified (GM) crops could hold back crop innovation needed to ensure food security, claims a UK government-funded research body.
The position of head of the directorate general for health and consumers (DG SANCO) will likely pass to Czech environmental politician Ladislav Miko following the resignation of Paola Testori Coggi, according to the European Commission.
The impact of ‘sin taxes’ on competitiveness and consumption habits, food prices, and sustainability were the key points on the agenda for the European Commission’s High Level Forum for a Better Functioning Food Supply Chain.
The European Food Safety Authority is willing and able to cope with the extra workload of novel food assessment that could come under its control, an official said at a European Parliament workshop.
The Council of the European Union has published the negotiating directives for EU-US trade talks (TTIP) after months of criticism from NGOs and campaigners over an alleged lack of transparency.
Proposals to create a separate process for novel food approval from countries outside of the EU will not see the market flooded with unsafe foods, a European Commission official told a concerned audience at a European Parliament workshop.
The European Commissioner-elect for health and food safety has said he intends to review rules on GM crop cultivation and broker compromise on animal cloning, among other top-priority topics.
The proposed EU-US trade deal could see the European market opened up to US imports of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), despite the Commission's public assurances to the contrary, claims Friends of the Earth.
Dispatches from Euro Fed Lipid Congress, Montpellier
Rothamsted Research has achieved omega-3 levels comparable to fish oil in its first GM camelina harvest, something which has been surprisingly well received by the public, its senior researcher says.
Legislation on the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops must be made “watertight” to avoid GM-opposing member states being taken to court, the European Parliament has urged in a European Council debate this week.
Recent advances that allow the precise editing of genomes have raised the possibility that fruit and other crops might be genetically improved without the need to introduce foreign genes, according to researchers.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has said French documentation supporting the country's attempt to ban Monsanto's MON810 genetically modified maize in Europe contains no new information or scientific basis to support such a ban.
Health-related buzzwords such as “heart healthy”, “organic” and “all natural” can lead consumers to rate unhealthy foods as healthy, according to a study of college students at the University of Houston (UH).
Over-regulation in EU farming is threatening crop production, meaning the UK is falling behind overseas pesticide-using competitors, agricultural bodies warn.
"Environment Council has just broken the deadlock on the GMO cultivation proposal": Commission
The European Commission’s Environmental Council has “broken the deadlock” on GM crop cultivation proposals with a political agreement around how member states can restrict or ban such crop production on their soil.
Health and other consumer benefits may help make transgenic or genetically engineered (GE) food more acceptable to consumers, but the food industry needs to be more transparent to win back trust, says the immediate past president of IFT.
