On 1 October 2023, the UK will ban single-use plastics, with the guidance having been released on 23 May. The EU have also released wide-ranging guidance on plastics.
The UK government will ‘scrap retained EU red tape on wine to unlock £180m’ via proposed changes to regulations for the production and marketing of wine in the country.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has ruled out imposing a tax on HFSS (high in fat, sugar and salt) foods, but promises to ban the advertising of ‘harmful’ junk food and sugary snacks to children if his party is elected to power.
Ireland is to become the first country in the world to introduce comprehensive warning labels on alcohol products: with new regulations signed into law by the country’s health minister yesterday.
Major food firms need to step up to the plate and ‘take a close look’ at their business models in order to help improve food supply diversity and nutritional value, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Chief Scientist has told us...
The world is not a stable place. Conflicts, both civil and international, as well as deglobalisation and the looming threat of climate change, are just some of the things that have the potential to radically disrupt the food system. At the City Food and...
The European Parliament voted to adopt a report on the implementation of the EU school scheme that favors unprocessed, organic and locally-produced food and leaves out plant-based alternatives.
There are a range of permitted health and nutrition claims available for food, drink and supplement brands to communicate the benefits of their products, but marketers must tread carefully to avoid common pitfalls which lead to fines and reputational...
On 11 April, the UK government released the draft of the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM). The BTOM will, if accepted, have a significant influence on the import of food from Europe into Great Britain (Northern Ireland is not affected). An online...
Is Nutri-Score opposed to the Mediterranean diet? Does the algorithm discriminate against traditional foods? And why doesn’t it take ultra-processing into account? Scientists and health professionals address Nutri-Score ‘misunderstandings’.
Tomorrow, 11 May, the Welsh Food Advisory Committee, which is part of the Food Standards Authority (FSA), will discuss the new Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), a government document which will determine food safety standards between the UK and the...
Cell-based meat? Cultivated meat? Differing views have been put forward by the FAO, WHO and industry players in APAC in defining the product, even though everyone seems to acknowledge that a common language is key for consumer education.
This week, the Netherlands announced Nutri-Score will ‘definitely’ be adopted as its official voluntary nutrition labelling scheme. The move is a controversial one, with nutritionists arguing the scheme contradicts its food-based dietary guidelines.
Last week, the Scottish government announced that its Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) would be delayed until March 2024, having originally been planned for an August 2023 release. One of the reasons for this is the fact that it will be in breach of the Internal...
In February, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) released guidance on how competition laws – laws that ensure that agreements between businesses don’t stifle competition – could affect companies striving for sustainability. The guidance said...
The pressure is now on for food and beverage companies to source deforestation-free products after the European Parliament formally adopted a ground-breaking new law to stop products causing forest destruction from being imported, sold in or exported...
Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) has been delayed. The scheme, which had been due to start in August, will not now begin until 1 March 2024. The delay is proving controversial, with many campaign groups speaking out against it. However, some drinks...
Having identified potentially harmful health effects on the immune system, EFSA has set a new, significantly lower, tolerable daily intake of Bisphenol A.
The UK government has invested £12m (€13.57) in a new research centre to grow sustainable protein and cultivated meat. This will be the largest investment yet made by the government in sustainable proteins.
On shelves where Nutri-Score is widely displayed in France, nutritional quality has significantly improved, according to UFC-Que Choisir, a consumer organisation calling for its mandatory adoption.
The EU’s Farm to Fork strategy will dramatically affect what claims food manufacturers can make on their packaging, says legal expert Katia Merten-Lentz.
Carrefour Group is the first French retailer to obtain the national anti-waste label launched by the national government earlier this month to showcase industry adherence to statutory regulations for food waste reduction.
The UK Dairy Roadmap is hoping to push the sector's sustainability forward by removing unnecessary variation between different carbon footprinting calculators used by British farmers.
Government and industry representatives from the palm oil and rubber sectors in Malaysia have urged the European Union (EU) to withdraw ‘highly demeaning’ clauses within its controversial deforestation regulation, punctuating this with a 500-strong protest...
In a move against greenwashing, the European Commission is proposing common criteria to stamp out vague, misleading, or unsubstantiated environmental claims.
The European Commission is proposing limits on which new environmental labelling schemes will be allowed to enter the market, in response to concerns around consumer confusion and mistrust.
On Monday 20 March, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released the final part of its Sixth Assessment Report. The report was clear about the catastrophic effect that climate change could have on the food supply worldwide, devastating agriculture...
Love it or hate it, Nutri-Score is one of the most popular front-of-pack nutrition labelling systems for food and drink. Now, the European Public Health Association, a non-governmental organisation of public health institutes across Europe, has expressed...
A recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO) presents the efforts of countries and organisations globally to eliminate trans fats in food. However, there is still a long way to go.
Precision fermentation leaders have banded together to launch Food Fermentation Europe (FFE), an alliance seeking to revamp current regulatory processes it describes as ‘far too lengthy and opaque’.
As another country, Japan, announces plans to develop a market for cellular foods, we ask stakeholders how Europe can remain competitive in the global race to develop cultivated meat.
Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) has been slammed by environmental campaigners for renouncing its HCSA membership. According to the palm oil major, the move represents a commitment to ‘doubling down on what’s working’.
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) is calling for an ‘outright ban’ of carbon neutral claims for food and drink in Europe, claiming they confuse and mislead shoppers. FoodNavigator asks the Carbon Trust to weigh in.
The president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) has launched a scathing attack on the Irish government over the delay in the introduction of its new nitrate banding rules.
The French consumer affairs and fraud control watchdog is clamping down on online influencers with fines of up to €300,000 and prison-sentences of up to two years, after discovering the majority do not comply with regulations.
A bill introduced to the Italian Parliament is seeking to prevent plant-based meat alternatives from using ‘meaty’ names. Would such a ban finally put an end to ‘marketing bias’, or instead ‘derail plans for a sustainable food system’?
The word ‘gruyere’ is 'generic', a US Court of Appeals told two consortiums who had argued the term should only be used to describe cheese made in a specific region of Switzerland and France.
Using dairy descriptors for plant-based alternatives, such as ‘oat milk’, is currently illegal in the UK, as in the EU. But following the US FDA’s new draft guidance encouraging such terminology, some see opportunity for the UK to change tack.
Although ‘many thought approving a new solvent would be impossible’, the European Parliament and Council have added plant-based solvent methyloxolane to the list of permitted processing aids for the manufacture of food ingredients.
Both the US and Singapore have seen cultivated meat products pass through their regulatory processes, yet the two governments approach novel foods in different ways. Which challenges and opportunities exist within these regulatory frameworks, and what...
Which areas of food and beverage will attract regulators’ attention this year? From HFSS laws to food safety inspections, lawyers from Squire Patton Boggs take us through the predicted trends for 2023.
Guidance from CAP and BCAP, the Advertising Standards Authority codes for non- and broadcast industries, has been updated to include advice on the use of carbon neutral and net zero claims in advertising.
Despite a slight easing in annual food and drink inflation – the first in 18 months – Food and Drink Federation (FDF) Scotland said prices remain high, placing onus on government to help the sector to keep costs down for Scottish consumers.
