'Percentage less' claims veto shows lack of trust in the industry; FDF to press for regulatory action

13-Feb-2012 - The recent veto of 'percentage less' claims by MEPs is indicative of a lack of trust in the food industry, said the UK trade group, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), which is intent on continuing to push for such amendments to the health claims regulation.

Commission regrets Parliament's blocking of nutrition claims revision

03-Feb-2012 - The European Commission said it strongly regrets the European Parliament’s decision yesterday to veto the ‘percentage less’ claims on foods, claiming its proposal, if backed, would have favoured industry efforts to reformulation.

WHO debates industry’s role in child nutrition plan

27-Jan-2012 - The involvement of the private sector in child nutrition has proved contentious at a recent meeting of the World Health Organisation’s executive board (EB).

Consumer group slams 'contains less' nutrition claims, MEP vote imminent

24-Jan-2012 - European consumers group, BEUC, claims the proposed “now 15% less” nutrition claim on foods, which is set to be debated by MEPs next week, is confusing and misleading for consumers.

Retailer consultation urged for effective nutrition labelling research

19-Jan-2012 - Retailers need to work with manufacturers and regulators to track the impact of systems such as traffic light labelling on consumer purchasing behaviour of food and drink products, stresses a Brussels-based consumer information group as it releases a new report.

EFSA should review ’growing up’ milks before regulations change, says EU infant foods group

12-Jan-2012 - The European Union should put the brakes on any mooted changes to rules governing milks targeting 1-3 year olds until a scientific review can be conducted, according to the EU group that represents infant food makers.

Exclusive interview

Beneo board: “Let us not forget that functional food responds to a clear demand of the consumer”

20-Dec-2011 - In the first part of this exclusive interview, Beneo Group executive board member, Yves Servotte, explains how European Union health claim rules have informed strategic thinking at one of Europe’s biggest and most vocal ingredient vendors.

Comment

Lobbyists, start your engines: Can a new health claims formula be won in the European Parliament?

12-Dec-2011 - Five years ago the European Union nutrition and health claims regulation (NHCR) became law. Around the bloc, hopeful EU healthy foods and supplements stakeholders submitted more than 44,000 health claim applications.

Food industry warned against rushing into labelling changes under FIR

12-Dec-2011 - The food industry should not rush into making labelling changes to ensure compliance with the new Regulation on Food Information (FIR) as there is a fundamental lack of clarity on how to implement some of the mandatory declarations, claims a regulatory expert.

EC de-authorises vitamin and muscle claims in final article 13, draft regulation

23-Nov-2011 - The European Commission has drafted the regulation that will bring into European law the final list of approved, article 13, general function health claims – with a specific reference to two approved claims that will not be authorised.

Cooked food may provide more energy than raw: Study

08-Nov-2011 - Cooking may increase the energetic availability of food, meaning that energy assessment for food labeling could depend on how a product is prepared, according to new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

UK yoghurt mislabelled as gluten-free but not recalled

25-Aug-2011 - Emmi-owned yoghurt brand Onken is altering packaging on some of its yoghurt products that were mislabelled as gluten-free in the UK.

Muesli nutrition study renews traffic light labelling debate

18-Aug-2011 - The traffic light labelling system may have lost steam in Europe but in Australia, the debate has again been reignited with a new study on the nutritional content of muesli.

Nutrition claims made simple for food marketers

18-Aug-2011 - Food manufacturers and marketers who are “irked” by tight nutrition claim regulations are being offered practical steps to ensure they comply with the rules whilst remaining competitive.

“Milk drinks for infants are not necessary“: German agency

17-Aug-2011 - Infant milks for over-1s are not better than regular cow’s milk, a German government agency has found after analysing their nutritional properties.

Birds Eye attacks ‘ridiculous’ ASA vitamin ruling

17-Aug-2011 - Birds Eye has slammed a "ridiculous" UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruling that two of its frozen foods adverts made forbidden comparative nutrition claims.

Private sector marketing offers “checklist” for healthy eating policy

17-Aug-2011 - Emotional appeal and reacting quickly to trends are among the marketing success factors that new research has identified to help develop healthy eating policies.

New EU food labelling laws will cost food firms, says consultant

08-Jul-2011 - The UK food industry has given the European Parliament's (EP's) final agreement on food labelling a mixed reception, with one consultant reckoning label changes cost £7,000 per product.

Salt lobby opposes EU's “absurd labelling” measures

06-Jul-2011 - European salt trade body EUSalt admits the “battle is lost” to prevent mandatory EU-wide salt labelling on food products after Guideline Dietary Allowance (GDA) measures were approved as expected in a European Parliament vote this afternoon.

EUFIC publish global update on nutrition labelling

23-Jun-2011 - More research is needed to appreciate how consumers can be helped to understand and use nutrition labels, according to a new report on nutrition labelling from the European Food Information Council (EUFIC).

Details of labelling rules released as EU gives “green light”

23-Jun-2011 - A final deal on EU food labelling legislation is heading towards the finish line with the provisional agreement approved by council yesterday.

EU ‘agreement’ may outlaw cholesterol labelling

16-Jun-2011 - Optional cholesterol labelling of food products may soon be banned in the European Union if a draft regulation on food information to consumers passes in its existing form.

Juice labelling and ingredient proposals aim to boost EU competitiveness

26-May-2011 - MEPs have voted to allow nectar manufacturers to drop “with added sugar” labelling and to permit tangerine juice to be added to orange juices made in the EU.

EFSA panel revises lutein ester colour ADI to lower carotenoid percentage

09-May-2011 - EFSA’s panel on additives and nutrient sources (ANS) has concluded that the ADI of natural red-orange colour lutein may be extended to extracts of Tagetes erecta with at least 60 per cent total carotenoids as esters, after the examination of new data from NATCOL.