Breaking News on Food & Beverage Development - Europe US edition

Commission takes action over nicotine mushroom mystery

12-May-2009 - The European Commission is taking risk management measures over the occurrence of high nicotine levels in wild mushrooms following an urgent investigation by EFSA, and implementing on-going monitoring.

US to shelve Roquefort tariff hike

11-May-2009 - Proposed US tariffs of 300 per cent for Roquefort cheese are to be shelved under a new arrangement between the US Trade Representative (USTR) and the European Commission (EC).

Traffic light-GDA combo best in UK labelling study

07-May-2009 - Latest round of research to identify the ideal front-of-pack labelling scheme indicates that a combination of traffic lights and GDAs is best understood by consumers.

EFSA advises raising carbohydrate reference intake

06-May-2009 - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has given its view of proposed reference intake levels for energy, total fat, saturates, carbohydrates, sugars and salt – suggesting that the carbohydrate level be revised upwards.

Weekly comment

Food safety reform: Not a century too soon

04-May-2009 - On a summer’s day in 1906 Theodore Roosevelt pushed through new food safety regulation. The Food and Drugs Act passed that day over 100 years ago was the last time the US food safety system was modernized.

EU Novel Foods amendment proposal accepted

30-Apr-2009 - European Union novel foods applications will be processed more quickly and the definition of what constitutes a novel food broadened, if a proposal for a new novel foods regulation is accepted by the European Parliament (EP).

FDF calls for moratorium on red tape

29-Apr-2009 - The president of the UK's Food and Drink Federation (FDF), Ross Warburton, has called on the Government to cut unnecessary red tape in order to support the food industry through the recession.

Enzyme industry responds to EFSA’s draft safety guidelines

29-Apr-2009 - The Association of Manufacturers and Formulators of Enzyme Products has welcomed EFSA’s draft guidelines for assessing food enzyme safety, but cautioned that regulation should be proportionate and clear.

Pressure group calls for enzyme labelling on packaged bread

29-Apr-2009 - A food pressure group in the UK is urging consumers to place stickers on plant produced bread in a move to highlight the unlabelled processing aids used in breads formulated by the 'big bakers'.

News in brief

Professor joins Avebe innovation team

27-Apr-2009 - Avebe has recruited an expert in enzymatic and microbial conversion of carbohydrates as its new manager for product and application development.

EU taps emerging talent for new organic logo

27-Apr-2009 - The European Commission has re-started the search for a new logo to appear on pre-packaged organic food, over a year after original designs were scrapped due to similarly to a supermarket’s logo.

News in brief

German scientists react to GM ban

23-Apr-2009 - The German science organizations on green genetic engineering has criticised the country's government for the ban on Monsanto's MON810 maize, noting that a ban on one crop will damage all GM in the country.

Monsanto files suit against Germany over GM ban

22-Apr-2009 - Monsanto has filed a lawsuit against the German government after the EU member state banned planting of its genetically modified MON810 maize last week.

French cranberry claim unaffected by EFSA stance, says Ocean Spray

17-Apr-2009 - The world’s only officially mandated cranberry health claim will not be affected by the recent rejection of a similar claim at European Union level, according to the company that submitted the claim, Ocean Spray.

UK food safety agency in fraud crackdown

15-Apr-2009 - A new food fraud division will support local authorities to take swift action to stop illegal activity as well as helping them uncover cases where the consumer has been misled, announced the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Italian Supreme Court issues final ruling on milk quota fraud

15-Apr-2009 - The Italian Supreme Court has issued a final ruling that a scheme to avoid paying extra levies under CAP milk quota rules amounts to fraud against EU financial interests.

EFSA consults on guidelines for gaining enzymes approval

09-Apr-2009 - The European Food Safety Authority has initiated a consultation on its draft guidelines for evaluating the safety of food enzymes, giving the first insight into the requirements that will be placed on industry.

EFSA finds smoke flavours could pose health risk

07-Apr-2009 - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has expressed safety concerns over the use of two smoke flavourings in food as it publishes the first in a series of risk assessments into smoked flavour products.

Further evidence backs traffic light food label scheme

06-Apr-2009 - The traffic light system for front-of-pack food labelling is the most effective in helping people identify healthier food products, a new study of Australian consumers has found.

FSA keeps protein cap in place, industry objects

26-Mar-2009 - The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) yesterday confirmed the implementation of a protein cap that limits products such as cereals being advertised to children.

EFSA slashes heavy metal limit

24-Mar-2009 - The European Food Safety Authority has lowered the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) for cadmium after studying data, a decision that could affect sourcing.

Hopes for lifting the protein cap could be dashed

23-Mar-2009 - The Food and Drink Federation said it is baffled by a Food Standards Agency recommendation to keep the protein cap that limits products such as cereals being advertised to children, which it said overturned previous advice without “good reason”.

News in brief

EU, US trade bosses commit to Doha progress

20-Mar-2009 - EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton and the new US Trade Representative Ron Kirk have agreed to intensify efforts to bring the Doha round of trade talks to a conclusion.

CIAA responds to points raised by anti-GDA campaign

20-Mar-2009 - The CIAA has responded to criticisms levelled at its GDA nutrition labelling system by a campaign from Denmark, emphasising points including the tool’s neutral, science basis, and work towards setting portion sizes.