Nutrition and health

Corteva boss: ‘Mother Nature’ changes the game quickly and demands new agricultural tools

“Mother Nature” is changing quickly and this requires the adoption of technology-driven solutions that will help both growers and consumers, Jim Collins, the chief operating officer of Corteva Agriscience, the Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, told EURACTIV.

Plain packaging: ‘Brand-theft’ or better consumer protection?

The rising trend of imposing plain packaging on unhealthy products has raised eyebrows in the industry, which fears that its brands are under threat. The World Health Organisation, on the other hand, insists that the measure provides a long-term benefit for public health.

Insufficient consideration for food issue in CAP

Olivier De Schutter, a co-chair of the international expert panel IPES-Food, calls on the European Commission to lay the foundations for a Common Food Policy. EURACTIV.fr reports.

Innovation in animal health: Sifting the tangible actions from the political ideas

Over the past fifty years, the EU has done a stellar job in moving from a very fragmented national approach to animal disease control to a progressively more harmonised system of animal health measures, disease surveillance, diagnosis and control, writes Roxane Feller.  

Expert: Animal health innovations will benefit both farming and society

An innovation-driven approach – ranging from vaccination to other health management solutions and appropriate biosecurity measures – will ensure more sustainable future livestock farming and protection of public health, as animal diseases do not recognise borders, Roxane Feller told EURACTIV.com.

EU farming community divided over new plant breeding techniques

The EU should embrace the new plant breeding techniques as the best chance to supply enough food for the EU's population, according to mainstream EU farmers. But organic farmers oppose this and a lot may depend on a European court ruling due before the summer.

Reducing meat consumption to reduce CO2 emissions: a sustainable challenge

Eating habits are responsible for carbon dioxide emissions and many countries could improve their carbon footprint by changing them. European countries are not all equal in terms of CO2 emissions, but an effort could be made.

Survey: Major retailers and producers in Germany back binding meat label

A number of major retailers and meat producers see the idea of a legally binding label on meat in positive light, according to a Greenpeace survey published on 27 March. 

Brussels government takes Commission to EU court over glyphosate

The government of the Brussels region has decided to file a complaint against the European Commission with the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over its decision to re-authorise glyphosate, the most widely used pesticide in the world.

Greece authorises Monsanto’s Roundup for five years

The Greek ministry of agriculture officially approved on Tuesday (6 March) the re-authorisation of the world's most commonly used weedkiller, Monsanto’s Roundup, which contains controversial chemical substance glyphosate.

Greenpeace: Cut out meat to meet Paris Agreement goals

The world needs to cut the production and consumption of meat in half by 2050 in order to meet the climate goals of the Paris Agreement, a new Greenpeace report said.

Pesticides found in three-quarters of fruit in France

A recent study published by the French NGO Générations Future revealed that 72.6% of non-organic fruit, contained pesticide residues. EURACTIV.fr reports.

DowDuPont boss: Merger will speed up innovation to face farming challenges ‘quickly’

A merger between Dow Chemical and DuPont (DowDuPont) aims to accelerate innovation in agriculture to help all farm sizes, as well as rapidly facing up to future challenges, DowDuPont’s Pierre Flye Sainte Marie told EURACTIV.com in an interview.

Salmonella on the rise again, EU officials admit

The incidence of Salmonella in humans was almost halved between 2004 and 2009 but new figures show that it has re-appeared, causing worries for food producers and health workers, but also for EU policymakers.

Companies set to miss EU acrylamide targets

Food manufacturers risk falling well short of meeting new EU rules aimed at limiting levels of cancer-causing Acrylamide, according to a series of new tests released on Thursday (11 January).

Six member states call for glyphosate alternatives, exit plan

Six member states that opposed the re-authorisation glyphosate, the world's most commonly used weedkiller, sent a letter to the European Commission asking it to conduct a study as well as look into alternatives to the controversial substance.

Climate change means meat taxes are ‘increasingly probable’

Investors claim that the implementation of the Paris Agreement will lead to some governments introducing a "livestock levy" that cuts meat consumption from diets, in a move that could avoid up to $600 billon in climate damages by 2050. EURACTIV’s partner edie.net reports.

EU kebab-ban? All smoke and no roast

An objection aimed at banning phosphate from kebab meat, to be voted in the European Parliament on Tuesday (12 December), has started a Europe-wide controversy, fuelled by a German conservative MEP and fake news. EURACTIV France reports.

Combat digestive diseases with tighter controls on the alcohol and food industry

You are what you eat, the saying goes, but what about what we drink? Dietary regulations across Europe need to be stricter if digestive disease rates are to fall, writes Thierry Ponchon.

Pro-glyphosate states refuse to back re-approval of less than 10 years

The EU member states led by the UK, which are in favor of glyphosate’s re-authorisation for at least ten years, refused at a meeting today (25) to support the renewal of the substance for a less period of time, EURACTIV has learnt.

French MEP: Difficult but possible to find glyphosate alternative in 5 years

It will be really difficult but not impossible to find an alternative to the controversial glyphosate weedkiller by the end of 2022, French MEP Angélique Delahaye told EURACTIV in Strasbourg after European Parliament approved a five-year phase-out.

Italy still opposes glyphosate but mulls five-year extension

The Italian government insists that the re-authorisation of glyphosate, the world's most commonly used weedkiller, be rejected. However, sources told EURACTIV.com that Rome is exploring the scenario of a five-year extension for an adjustment period.

What are you drinking?

A can of soup, a carton of juice, a bottle of wine.When shopping for any of the above, it stands to reason that you could turn to the calories or inspect the ingredients. As you’d imagine, food and drink producers are obliged to label their produces’ ingredients and calorie content. Wine, however, is exempt.