Designated food "clusters" in the EU will receive a boost in
funding to help the bloc's researchers develop innovative foods and
processing techniques.
Guidance documents on requirements for meat and seafood imports
into the EU lay out the safety standards that companies from
approved countries have to meet if they want to bring products into
the bloc.
Companies are calling for longer term certainty on what targets
they must meet to comply with the EU's greenhouse gas emissions
trading scheme, according to a report by the European Commission.
If the EU keeps hiding its agriculture sector behind huge pay
cheques instead of devoting more time to food research funding, the
bloc's whimpering and wailing will only get worse.
The European Commission has tabled its annual proposal on guide
prices for fresh and frozen fisheries products, indicating that the
cost for tuna used in food processing will be maintained nextyear.
The UK's regulator has produced a guidance on how businesses can
meet the provisions of new EU-wide controls on high risk food and
feed imports provisions for products of non-animal origin.
A new centre-right government in Poland is unlikely to curb the
country's strong opposition to EU sugar reforms as Commission
representatives look for common ground to break the 'no' camp.
Whether it is a pork pie from Melton Mowbray or olive oil from
Nimes, every Tom, Denis and Haemon seems to believe their local
food deserves the EU's protection from big, bad corporations.
The first wrangling over EU sugar reform proposals by agriculture
ministers saw protests and a passionate debate in Brussels
yesterday, but the opposition looks increasingly isolated,
reports Chris Mercer.
Lubricant firms can now apply for the EU Eco-label if their product
has a low impact on the environment, something that could appeal to
manufacturers keen to increase their green credentials.
A bumper harvest across Eastern Europe has forced the European
Commission to intervene, buying up and moving large amounts of
surplus stocks to prevent Europe-wide market disturbance,
reports Chris Mercer.
Mariann Fischer Boel, the EU's recently appointed agriculture
commissioner, has claimed that sweeping EU agricultural reforms
will provide UK farmers with a "better balance of support",
while forging a more competitive...
Increases in European steel values have made the EU the most
expensive market in the world, with inevitable consequences for the
region's packaging industry. Anthony Fletcher reports.
Peter Mandelson, the newly-appointed EU trade commissioner, is
considering launching a review of the EU's stringent food hygiene
regulations in an attempt to tackle growing accusations that its
policies are protectionist and...
Food and ingredients producer Greencore has warned early that its
Irish sugar business could be seriously damaged when the EU finally
implements its sugar reform, expected next December, writes
Chris Mercer.
The first ever EU conference on control with remote sensing (CwRS)
of area-based subsidies held in a new member state takes place in
Budapest, Hungary today.
A recent EU survey suggests that consumers would pay more to have
higher quality meat and vegetables, and would trust them more if
the EU could guarantee the origin or the way a product is produced.
Brussels will fight to appeal against a new decision by the World
Trade Organisation that rules the EU illegally subsidises exports
of sugar, ruling in favour of a legal challenge by Australia,
Thailand and Brazil, the world's...
Food makers alert to the levels of a potentially carcinogenic mould
commonly found on crops as scientists back an extension barrier
levels for ochratoxin A to grape juice, coffee and wine.
An enlarged EU containing a consumer base of some 450 million
should provide plenty of opportunity for market expansion,
according to a recent food industry seminar.
Europe's organic food and farming sector got a major boost this
week with the adoption by the European Commission of a new action
plan to promote the sector. The challenge will be to ensure, and
maintain, consumer trust in premium-priced...
Over 500 food processing plants were shut down in the Czech
Republic at the end of 2003, according to Radio Praha. The closures
of the plants were due to food safety and hygiene standards failing
to meet European Union regulations.
The European Commission says it is making efforts to debunk what it
terms 'myths and misunderstandings' about a range of food and drink
products with respects to EU enlargement.
Hungarian company Master Good has become the first in the country
to establish an organic poultry processing plant, which will
largely serve the EU export market.
Both the European Commission and the Polish government are
forecasting that the EU market will be flooded with Polish made
food and beverage items during the course of the next two to three
months.
While Poland is claiming that it is has made considerable ground in
the race to meet EU food safety regulations before accession, more
storm clouds are gathering on the issue of food stockpiling, as
worried manufacturers stock up...
Health conscious consumers that wish to avoid additives in their
diets are finding it difficult to recognise the ingredients and the
health risks associated with them because of a confusing labelling
system.
The European Commission has warned that it might challenge
member-state bans on biotech crops in the European Court of
Justice. Bans have been imposed by Austria, France, Germany,
Greece, Italy, Luxembourg and the UK.
The European Commission has set up a new online help desk for the
development of trade from developing countries. The Commission says
the tool aims to assist the likes of food and drink manufacturers
in Central and Eastern Europe...
A survey published today suggests that packaging companies across
Europe are taking the EU's packaging and packaging waste
directive's essential requirements seriously. The independent
survey of Europen members shows that...
A new regulation on smoke flavourings intended for use in or on
foods has just been published in the EU Official Journal. The new
regulation, which will not apply until 16 June 2005, comes into
force on 16 December 2003. The new law...
EU commissioner for agriculture, rural development and fisheries
Franz Fischler has outlined the agricultural problems facing
Mediterranean countries. Speaking at the Euromed Conference in
Venice, he said that many industries within...
The new edition of European business, Facts and figures
reveals that manufacturing accounted for around 30 per cent of EU
employment, with food, beverages and tobacco constituting by far
the largest sector. The report uses official...
EU officials are hoping that genetically modified sweetcorn may
prove to be the key to unlocking one of the bitterest trade rows in
history. Despite fierce consumer opposition to genetically modified
organisms (GMOs), the European...
Texture analysis is a growing dynamic discipline within the food
processing sector. A range of new cutting-edge technology will be
undoubtedly be unveiled at the forthcoming Fi Europe show, and the
EU is currently funding an investigation...
Years of uncertainty on the definition of yoghurt could soon come
to an end, with EU legislators planning to define the exact nature
of the milk product. But the proposed definition has caused
commotion amongst Spanish dairy producers...
Despite the failure of Cancun, it still seems likely that Europe's
sugar regime will be overhauled. Europe's farm commissioner said
that the continuation of the EU's heavily subsidy sugar industry is
simply unviable.
Imminent reforms to the EU sugar regime could slice millions off
the sugar profits for Associated British Foods (ABF), the owner of
British Sugar, and Danisco.
The launch of the pan-Euro-Mediterranean (Euromed) system of rules
of origin, fundamental to developing trade and fostering regional
integration, will be top of the agenda at the third Euromed Trade
Ministerial meeting in Palermo,...
European food manufacturers are on alert after emergency measures
have been undertaken by the EU to stop the import of hot chilli
products containing the known carcinogen 'Sudan red ', banned from
foodstuffs.
The CIAA has welcomed the appointment of 162 observers from
candidate countries into the European Parliament marked a
significant step forward towards full integration and the
strengthening of EU legislation.
Ireland, which once trailed far behind fellow EU states in its
packaging recycling efforts, has now exceeded the levels of
recycling set by the European Commission in 2001.
Shrimp producers in Thailand have urged the government to impose
the same exacting standards on food shipments from the European
Union that are imposed on Thai shrimp exports bound for Europe,
according to a report in the Bangkok...
A dispute between the Peruvian fishing industry and the European
Union over the labelling of sardines has been resolved,
surprisingly, in favour of the South American country, according to
a report on FT.com.
