Labour is about to set out its plans for improving public health if elected next year and while tougher regulation can be expected, sugar and fat taxes will not be part of the mix, it has emerged.
Changes to European labelling laws meaning the specific source of vegetable oil must be declared on pack could drive more food manufacturers to certified sustainable palm oil, according to one grower.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has updated its scientific advice on food allergens, taking into account latest published data on food allergy prevalence in Europe.
Consumers are generally able to use nutrition labelling systems to identify more and less healthy foods, but the use of different reference amounts may be confusing, say researchers.
Members of the European Parliament’s health and environment committee last night rejected a Commission proposal that would have updated novel foods rules to allow the use of nanoparticles.
Obesity costs the world nearly as much as armed conflict and needs a coordinated response from industry and governments, urges a new report from the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI).
Food companies are moving toward compliance with the upcoming Food Information for Consumers (FIC) regulation but many still have work to do, according to a new report.
International health campaigners have called for a binding treaty to tackle diet-related ill health in a letter to the heads of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
A greater focus on emotional training may be a more effective way of encouraging healthy food choices than nutritional training, according to research.
Consumers underestimate calorie counts for, and consume more of, foods from companies with positive corporate responsibility programmes, say researchers.
Past celiac research has focused on gluten wheat proteins as the cause of reactions, but researchers say there may be other non-gluten proteins in wheat also to blame.
A Channel 4 investigation into inorganic arsenic levels in rice has questioned the safety of products aimed at children like rice cakes and Kellogg's Rice Krispies - although all companies implicated say their levels fall within current recommendations.
Anti-lobbying campaigners have accused new European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker of putting the environment, consumers and workers at small companies at risk with a red-tape-cutting agenda.
UK Member of European Parliament (MEP) Glenis Willmott has sent a three-page letter to the Commission saying it should be considering making the UK’s traffic light label a mandatory pan-EU measure, instead of threatening it with court action.
Consumers are exploring new ways of educating themselves about food and increasingly are using mobile apps to make well-informed choices, according to Mintel's 'Consumer Trends 2015' report.
Energy drink consumption among young people, particularly in connection with alcohol, presents a significant public health concern that warrants further research and regulation, according to a report authored by World Health Organisation (WHO) officials.
The position of head of the directorate general for health and consumers (DG SANCO) will likely pass to Czech environmental politician Ladislav Miko following the resignation of Paola Testori Coggi, according to the European Commission.
The impact of ‘sin taxes’ on competitiveness and consumption habits, food prices, and sustainability were the key points on the agenda for the European Commission’s High Level Forum for a Better Functioning Food Supply Chain.
All new UK government policies should be considered in the context of rising obesity rates in an effort to reverse the trend, urges a report from independent think tank 2020health.
The European Food Safety Authority is willing and able to cope with the extra workload of novel food assessment that could come under its control, an official said at a European Parliament workshop.
The Commission was wrong to separate the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), nutrient profiles are unconvincing and the threat of botanical court action is unsurprising, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP)...
The UK’s traffic light label has incited more objections than the Nordic keyhole system because the former is more negative in its nutrition guidance, says the European Commission.
The European Commission has formally opened infraction proceedings against the UK for its 'traffic light' food labelling system, giving the state two months to defend itself against business complaints.
By Steve Spice, head of regulatory affairs at Campden BRI
The Provision of Food Information to Consumers Regulation (FIC) is fast approaching the key date in December 2014, after which the majority of its provisions start to take effect. In this guest article, Campden BRI expert Steve Spice addresses some of...
Around 80% of Swedish people think the keyhole labelling system is a good thing, according to a survey published by the Swedish National Food Agency (NFA).
Science should look beyond LDL cholesterol and saturated fat, which have dominated cardiovascular research until now, towards other contributing factors and a food-group approach to guidelines, according to one researcher.
A significant proportion of Scottish adults and children show evidence of low vitamin D levels, according to new data from the UK national diet and nutrition survey (NDNS).
European consumers expect simple foods with no artificial ingredients – but food companies are finding it harder to differentiate their products by adding clean label claims, according to Mintel’s director of innovation and insight David Jago.
Pan-European food companies could be prone to major translation blunders as they look to implement new food labelling rules, says translation expert Richard Brooks.
Eleven of the world’s biggest food and beverage companies have signed a commitment to harmonise nutrition labelling, and approaches to reformulation and marketing to children on a global basis.
Intakes of free dietary sugars should make up no more than 3% of total energy intake in order to battle the ‘significant’ financial and social burdens of tooth decay, warn researchers.
A German appeal court has ruled that Ritter Sport’s vanilla flavor in its whole hazelnut product is correctly labelled after consumer group Stiftung Warentest challenged it.
The new European Commission’s ‘better regulation’ mission must keep consumer welfare in mind and not translate to a “one-sided reduction” for businesses, the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) has warned.
Alpro’s decision to reverse plans to combine its soya and nut production lines has shone the spotlight on the need for usable ‘action levels’ for adventitious allergen contamination of foods.
Lithuanian politician Vytenis Andriukaitis will be the next commissioner for health and food safety, according to an official announcement today which saw several structure changes to the cabinet.
Lithuanian politician Vytenis Andriukaitis has been earmarked as the next commissioner for health and food safety in a leaked Juncker line-up, but officials remain tight lipped.
Small brands are reacting to food labelling changes more slowly than larger peers and risk a last-minute scramble to meet Food Information for Consumers (FIC) Regulation requirements, according to GS1 UK.
