Tag: food industry

As the horsemeat-dressed-as-beef scandal continues to rock Europe’s food industry, a number of organisations are calling on stricter European regulation, including an EU-wide horse passport register.

A deal struck between EU member states on new food labelling rules saw political support for a voluntary GDA labelling scheme currently applied by the food industry across Europe.

Intrusive marketing practices brought on by the Internet have attracted the attention of the European Parliament, with lawmakers concerned about guaranteeing citizens' privacy, said Philippe Juvin MEP in an interview with EurActiv.

Despite industry pledges, children are still being targeted in food adverts and such ads are moving from television to other media such as the Internet, says Ruth Veale of European consumers' organisation BEUC in an interview with EurActiv. 

The European Union is due to assess the advertising industry's commitment to self-regulation when it comes to marketing unhealthy foods to children, as concerns mount over child obesity.

The European Parliament yesterday (16 June) voted to make nutrition labelling of pre-packed foods mandatory, but rejected calls by health and consumer organisations' for a traffic light system giving consumers a visual warning for high fat, sugar or salt content of a product.

French food group Danone withdrew health claim applications on two of its bestselling yoghurts on Thursday (15 April), citing confusion about what scientific evidence was required from the company under the process to validate the claims.

An ideological split over European Union regulation of agricultural markets could prevent farm ministers from agreeing on measures to boost the power of producers in the food chain at a meeting in Brussels on Monday (29 March).

The European Commission yesterday (28 October) launched an inquiry into the food supply chain for unfair contractual practices imposed on small farmers by major retail chains and other buyers, in a drive to curb future food price increases and ensure farmers get a fair share of the price of end products.

A public hearing in the European Parliament on 28 August 2008 saw food industry stakeholders hit out against Commission proposals on nutrition labelling, which they say are overly complex and will push up costs for small businesses.

The environmental cost of imported foodstuffs used in restaurants is much higher than previously thought, with cheaper meals carrying higher carbon footprints, according to a study by the University of Nottingham.

As the current food and commodity price boom leads to a massive redistribution of wealth in the world, the International Food Policy Research Institute is calling on major oil and food exporting countries and related corporations to participate in funding the response to the crisis.

The Commission has proposed speeding up market authorisation for foods ranging from cloned meat to exotic products from third countries. But the proposed centralised authorisation system is raising questions at a time when the safety of GMOs is back under the spotlight.

Europeans' taste for processed food imported at low cost from developing countries has far-reaching environmental consequences, argues a study which aims to provoke discussion on the issue.

Consumers are actively seeking healthy snacks and beverages, a new study shows, but their scepticism towards the snack industry's health claims persists.

Both the consumer organisations and industry welcome the Council-Parliament compromise on nutrition and health claims on foods.

After EU environment ministers failed to agree, the Commission is now being called on to make the final decision on authorising imports of genetically modified (GM) oilseed rape.