Food labelling
Italy, Slovenia await Commission to settle balsamic vinegar dispute
Italy is up in arms, trying to defend the world-famous balsamic vinegar of Modena from an attempt to 'standardise' its production made by Slovenia, and the European Commission appears to have until 3 March to settle the issue.
EU regions’ advisory body proposes ‘Mediterranean diet’ label
An ad hoc label for food products belonging to the Mediterranean diet is the latest suggestion in the EU-wide food labelling fray to cope with negative effects caused by colour-coded Nutri-score.
Level of food security in the EU is not uniform, report shows
European countries performed differently in a study that measures the state of global food security, showing an internal discrepancy within the bloc that put Europe behind North America in the ranking of regions.
EU goes easy on alcohol in cancer plan
Alcoholic drinks have been treated differently to tobacco products in Europe's Beating cancer plan, as overuse, not its use, will be targeted by the Commission's initiatives.
EFSA to add its flavour to nutrition labelling debate
The EU food safety agency EFSA is to provide scientific advice to support the development of a future EU-wide system for front-of-pack nutrition labelling of foodstuffs, including setting conditions for nutrition and health claims on foods.
EU Court leaves Cyprus on the grill as halloumi trademark rift heats up
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has dismissed the claim of a Cypriot producers' organisation who challenged the trademark validation of Bulgarian halloumi-sounding products arguing that they could deceive consumers.
Ministers approve blueprint for animal welfare label, verdict still out on nutritional labels
EU agricultural ministers have given the green light to an EU-wide animal welfare labelling system, although plans for front of pack nutrition and origin labelling have been shelved for the moment.
Agrifood Brief, powered by EIT Food: Last push on labelling
Welcome to EURACTIV’s AgriFood Brief, your weekly update on all things Agriculture & Food in the EU. You can subscribe here if you haven’t done so yet. This week, we speak with: Aneta Zachová from EURACTIV Czech Republic about the latest...
Germany introduces long-awaited ‘Nutri-Score’
Companies in Germany will be able to use the so-called "Nutri-Score" as of Friday (6 November) despite it having been a controversial matter for some time. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Plant-based naming and labelling: How draft regulation fits into the Farm to Fork strategy
The plant-based food market is booming in Europe and predicted to grow further in the coming years. The market is expected to increase to 2.4bn euros in 2025, from 1.5bn euros in 2018. In the EU, terms like “almond milk”...
Majority of consumers have no beef with meat names for veggie products, says study
Consumers group BEUC has weighed in on the debate over the naming of plant-based products, saying that 80% of surveyed consumers had no issue with meat or dairy-like terms being used for alternative products.
EU Court: Origin labelling for food allowed only if ‘justified’
National measures requiring mandatory labelling of origin and provenance for foodstuff are allowed under the EU law but needs to be justified, Europe's highest court has found.
EU farmers boss: Farm to Fork to be revised, if negative impact was proved
The European Commission's new food policy should be reviewed if a future impact assessment shows that it will negatively affect farmers, the newly-elected chair of farmers association COPA, Christiane Lambert, told EURACTIV.com.
MEPs want Commission to enter the veggie burger fray
European Parliament lawmakers are considering asking the European Commission to step in and help nix any doubts about the terminology used for plant-based meat substitutes, which are gaining in popularity across the EU.
EU farmers side with Italy against colour-coded nutrition labelling
The EU farmers lobby COPA-COGECA has joined the ranks of those fighting against French Nutri-Score system in the race for picking a mandatory EU-wide nutrition food label.
EU farm ministers mull origin, animal welfare labelling on foodstuff
Food labelling stole the spotlight from the reform of the bloc's main farming subsidies program during an informal meeting of ministers that kicked off the German EU presidency's agenda on agriculture.
Kyriakides: Investments will match EU’s ambition on sustainable food systems
The EU's determination to become a global leader in sustainability will be matched by investments in solutions to deliver on the commitments set out in the EU's new food policy, Commissioner Stella Kyriakides told EURACTIV.com in an exclusive interview.
EU consumers open to exploring more sustainable diets, but lack information to do so
EU consumers are influenced by environmental concerns and willing to change their eating habits accordingly but lack of information, high prices and limited availability of sustainable foods still stand in the way, according to a new survey from the European Consumer Organisation, BEUC.
Commission upholds highly ambitious targets to transform EU food system
After several delays, the EU's new flagship food policy was finally released on Wednesday (20 May), confirming the aspiration of the EU executive to transform the European way of producing, distributing and consuming food.
Kyriakides: No mandatory front-of-pack labelling in the Farm to Fork
Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides scaled back the ambition of the EU's new food policy during a meeting with agriculture MEPs on Monday (11 May), revealing that it will not provide a compulsory EU-wide nutritional food label scheme.
EU-wide food label should not fall to the back-burner, say advocates
Advocates for an EU-wide mandatory Nutri-score food label want the European Commission not to overlook the long-awaited harmonisation of front-of-pack nutritional labelling, despite the focus on tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Geographical indications found to double value of agri-food products
Agri-food and drink products whose names are protected by the EU as geographical indications (GIs) offer a “clear economic benefit” for producers in terms of marketing and increased sales, according to a study published by the European Commission on Monday (20 April).
LEAK: EU’s Farm to Fork strategy will be based on five key targets
In addition to longstanding objectives like the reduction of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, the European Commission envisages setting three more targets in its new flagship food policy, EURACTIV can reveal.