About: Food

Europe challenges Asia in a three-candidate race at FAO

Delegates from around the world are set to choose the new head of the UN food and agriculture agency (FAO) this weekend, in a three-way race between candidates from France, China and Georgia. 

Collective of 400 EU stakeholders call for a ‘common food policy’

400 agriculture-related EU stakeholders, convened by the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food), has mapped out a new governance architecture for food systems in a bid to create sustainable food systems under a ‘Common Food Policy’.

Governments lack policies to support food sector in low carbon transition – report

Unlike the energy sector, agriculture does not benefit from public policies geared towards a low carbon transition, which means farming is still a significant contributor to climate change due to meat over-consumption, a new report published on 16 October revealed.

Eating crickets is good for you, study finds

Eating crickets help support the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, is not only safe at high doses but may also reduce inflammation in the body, a new study finds.  For consumers in North America and Europe, crickets and other edible insects are currently getting popular, a trend the EU’s new Novel Food Regulation may significantly strengthen.

G7 can tackle five priorities with one investment: agricultural research

This week the representatives of the world's most advanced economies grapple with complex challenges at the G7 summit. Smart investments need to be made to solve the five key issues addressed at the summit and the smartest investment is in agricultural research, writes Marcon Ferroni.

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.

Tainted egg scandal sparks political row in Germany

A German state minister charged Wednesday (16 August) that over three times more eggs contaminated with the insecticide fipronil had entered the country than the national government has admitted.

Belgium aware of eggs scandal since June but did not speak out

Belgium has been aware of a potential problem with fipronil in the poultry sector since June, its food safety agency admitted, adding that it did not say anything because of a fraud investigation.

With new evidence, Czechs call for solution to dual food quality issue

Fish fingers in Germany contain more meat than those sold in the Czech Republic. The Visegrad Group has asked for an EU solution but the Commission is reluctant. Czechs are raising the issue again, following the publication of a new study. EURACTIV.cz reports

Nestlé boss: Simplified food labels will better inform consumers

Simplified food label schemes like the UK-style traffic light will provide EU consumers clear and simple elements and therefore, better inform them, Marco Settembri told EURACTIV.com in an interview.

New endocrine disruptor rules address your trade concerns, EU tells US, Canada

EXCLUSIVE/ The European Commission told the US and Canada that draft EU pesticides laws would “address the concerns” they had over possible trade restrictions on goods exposed to endocrine disruptors.

NGOs: Commission’s acrylamide regulation has ‘wrong’ legal basis

Food and consumer organisations claim that the European Commission’s draft regulation on acrylamide is based on a wrong regulation and this has a direct effect on the lack of maximum levels, EURACTIV.com has learned.

TTIP talks bogged down in food standards debate

Seemingly insurmountable differences in food standards are threatening to sink trade negotiations between the United States and the European Union.  EURACTIV Spain reports.

At Ramadan, refugees in Europe dream of family and comfort food

As Ramadan began in Germany on Monday (6 June), Syrian asylum seeker Khairallah Swaid said he would pray for a reunion with his wife, who is stranded at a camp in Greece, and crave his mother's makloubeh, a meat and rice dish served during the fasting month.

Food waste: Time for a paradigm shift from ‘selling more’ to ‘selling better’

Consumers have a crucial role to play in reducing food waste, but change will have to take place at every stage of the supply chain, including a revolution in supermarket marketing practices, according to Olivier Jan.

French food waste could feed ten million people

France wastes enough food every year to feed ten million people, or cut national greenhouse gas emissions by 3%, according to a study published on Thursday (26 May) by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME).  EURACTIV's partner Journal de l'Environnement reports.

Malmström concerned about public perception of TTIP

Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström has admitted she is worried about the increasingly negative attitude in the EU towards the trade talks with the United States.

‘European MIT’ will look for innovators in food, industry and urban mobility

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology is opening a “new chapter” to overcome some of its early mistakes, and plans to expand by adding food, the digitalisation of industry and urban mobility to its priority areas.

Bernd Lange: The US needs to improve workers’ rights

EXCLUSIVE / Labour rights in the US must be improved before any potential TTIP deal is signed and Brexit’s economic impact is of concern, according to the chairman of the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade, Bernd Lange.

EU agricultural emissions: On the table

In 2012, agriculture was responsible for over 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the EU.

Tackling climate change is the key to producing enough nutritious food to beat hunger

Developing a viable and vibrant agricultural sector presents a significant market opportunity for small and family farmers, write Phil Hogan and Neven Mimica.

Paris’ ecological footprint in decline

Cleaner transport has helped reduce the ecological footprint of the Île-de-France region over the last decade, but housing and food are two energy intensive sectors where little has changed. Journal de l'Environnement reports. 

European Commission, don’t ‘chicken’ out on a sustainable food strategy

The Commission must develop a strategy towards a sustainable EU food and farming system, including the introduction of a target to reduce the consumption of animal products by 30 percent by 2030, writes Joanna Swabe.