Health claims, novel foods, labelling, GMOs… the recently introduced Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill could have far reaching implications for the food and nutrition industries in the UK.
The Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 come into force tomorrow, placing location restrictions on ‘less healthy’ products that are high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) – however, these have once again been knocked as nothing more...
Less than two-months out from COP27 in Egypt, we ask how the dialogue around food has changed since last year’s UN Climate Change Conference in Scotland. What role can technology play in encouraging food systems transformation? And what’s in-store for...
The European Commission is facing calls to set legally binding targets to tackle food waste after a new report exposes what it calls a ‘food waste’ scandal.
Nestlé Cereals has conducted research into consumer attitudes to nutritional labelling in the UK. The results are in. “Our research shows many consumers do not understand how to interpret the nutritional labelling information,” FoodNavigator hears.
EU legislation on acrylamide is set to be renewed next year, meaning its crunch time for a number of manufacturers who are still producing biscuits and cookies with acrylamide levels above the 350 ppb benchmark level (BML).
Reports that the UK is launching a review of plans that aim to restrict the promotion of high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) foods have sparked backlash among health campaigners – and celebration in other camps.
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted today on the EU draft law on deforestation, including due diligence obligations for EU financiers investing in forest-risk sectors.
Operators across the EU agri-food chain are struggling to keep businesses going in the face of rapidly rising input costs and extreme weather, according to industry associations representing the sector.
The UK woke up this morning (7 September) to a new leader and with hopes the new government will immediately take steps to alleviate the crushing living prices that are badly impacting consumers and putting industry at risk.
Italian researchers are urging front-of-pack labelling systems to take into account processing methods as well as nutritional composition after their work linked ultra-processed food with an increased mortality risk.
Ben & Jerry’s dispute with Unilever over a potential licensing deal in Israel and the West Bank ended Monday with a blow for the maker of Phish Food ice cream.
The United Nations will host its 27th Climate Change Conference in a matter of months. As leaders gear up for COP27 in Egypt, food industry experts want to see an increased focus on food system resilience and transformation. Here’s why.
The Italian Ministry of Health has acted on recent adverse events linked to turmeric-based food supplements by prohibiting all health claims linked to the botanical, and issuing a new warning to be used on product labels.
Spain is following the lead of France and Italy with the introduction of a new food waste reduction law that will come into force in 2023. Is this a game-changer for food waste in the country or a missed opportunity?
Safe Food Advocacy Europe has long been campaigning for an official definition of the term ‘natural’. Yet not all industry players are on board, we are told. How could a legal definition benefit both consumers and the planet?
The European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA) has launched an industry-wide survey to gauge the impact of mandatory front-of-pack nutritional labelling (FOPNL), expected to be introduced across the EU by the end of the year.
While judged to be performing ‘well’, the Scientific Committee of the Nutri-Score has suggested improvements to further align the FOP nutrition label with dietary guidelines.
Fairlife – the Coca-Cola Company’s latest billion dollar retail brand – has [unintentionally?] underscored the argument Kellogg Company presented to the High Court in April over the UK government’s HFSS regulations: that consumers drink milk with their...
The popular PepsiCo brand has developed a digital guide to help retailers navigate the implications for the savoury snacks category when the UK’s HFSS legislation come into effect in October.
France’s Council of State (Conseil d’État) has agreed to put its ban on the use of words like ‘steak’, ‘bacon’, ‘sausage’ or ‘Carpaccio’ to describe plant-based foods en pause.
Nutrition brands, Purolabs Nutrition and HeyNutrition, have been accused of making false and misleading claims in Google marketing ads and on review websites owned by the respective companies.
According to the European Court of Justice, Denmark has failed to fulfil its obligations under EU law by continuing to sell ‘feta’ cheese to third countries.
Non-nutritive sweeteners such as stevia and sucralose are not a panacea, but new recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) questioning their value do a “disservice to public health” by failing to recognize their role in sugar/energy reduction...
The UK’s Food Standards Agency has said it will allow products containing edible insects to remain on the market while they undergo the Novel Foods authorisation process to assess safety.
The legislation has been condemned by plant-based and animal rights advocates such as the Vegan Association Turkey (TVD), which has filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
The European Commission (EC) is to allow a turmeric-based metabolite on the market as a Novel Food (NF) for 5 years in a move that raises questions about other curcuminoid extracts.
Europe needs to take action to avoid the ‘worsening food crisis’ and ‘face down Putin’s attempt to starve the Global South’ through Russia’s food export blockage of Ukraine, a new report suggests.
The European Union and New Zealand have inked a free trade agreement. With the deal being universally condemned by the dairy industries of both regions, we look at what concessions have been made and ask if anyone has come out on top.
Further doubts have been raised about whether Nutri-Score will be rolled out across the whole EU after the Italian Competition Authority ruled the front-of-pack label gives a false impression about the healthiness of a product, and may even prompt consumers...
France will become the first country in the European Union to ban the use of words like ‘steak’, ‘bacon’ or ‘sausage’ from bring applied to plant-based foods.
The European Council has backed Commission proposals designed to combat deforestation linked to consumer goods sold in the region – but with some important carve-outs. As environmentalists accuse EU Environment Ministers of ‘significantly watering down’...
The G7 Leaders’ Communiqué might be high on rhetoric about Russia and the need for a green energy transition - but little was agreed to ease the pressure on food supply chains and avert a global food crisis, critics warn.
Environmental restrictions in the European Union are ‘stagnating’ milk production in the bloc, according to the assessment of the US Department of Agriculture.
The decision to prohibit terminology such as ‘veggie biltong’ and ‘plant-based meatballs’ in South Africa is polarising. Those working in the meat sector are ‘very pleased’, encouraging ‘swift and firm action’ against offenders. Plant-based stakeholders,...
The global food price crisis will be the hot topic of discussion at the G7-World Bank food crisis meeting today and G7 Leaders’ Summit this weekend. Will action be taken to avert imminent catastrophe?
Legally binding targets at EU and national level to reduce by 50% the use and the risk of chemical pesticides by 2030 have been proposed by the European Commission.
Ireland today unveiled a new €1.5bn Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme that it says is ‘user friendly for farmers’ and will deliver ‘broader environmental and biodiversity benefits’. But the country’s farming union was warned it seems ‘likely to be...
The strategy follows the independent review of the food system carried out last year by Henry Dimbleby, founder of upmarket fast food chain Leon. It puts a focus on home-grown food, including strengthening supply chains and boosting food production.
A food system that is resilient to shocks and can help bring solutions to the climate crisis requires should be diversified, localised and deliver a ‘fairer’ distribution of value across the food chain, speakers at the Rural Policy Group annual conference...
It will be ‘very difficult, if not impossible’ for the EU to achieve the Global Methane Pledge without more action from meat and dairy industries, according to a new report.
Britain risks falling behind China and EU in making and selling meat substitutes and other alternative proteins because the government lacks a coherent strategy for their development, a think-tank says.
By Katia Merten-Lentz, Partner and Founder Food Law Science & Partners
As the Ukraine invasion disrupts supply of key commodities in Europe, legal expert Katia Merten-Lentz looks at the option of substituting ingredients and asks what this means for labelling and the legal status of your products.
EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski has insisted the Green Deal, which contains the landmark Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies, will remain a key priority despite the conflict in Ukraine.
New UK legislation that promotes innovation and more nutritious crops has been introduced to the country’s Parliament last week in a move designed to address future food security.
