The EU is set to abolish the system of sugar production quotas for the bloc as well as guaranteed minimum prices from 2016, according to a Brussels source.
Research conducted by stevia partners Cargill and Associated British Foods subsidiary Silver Spoon has found UK consumers are keen for natural alternatives to artificial low-calorie sweeteners.
The European Commission has defended its decision to release thousands of tonnes of sugar on to the market after accusations that the move would have a detrimental impact on the yeast industry.
A host of major food companies will be among those eagerly watching developments after antitrust officials from the European Commission raided a number of container liner shipping firms over suspicions that competition rules had been breached.
The European Commission today approved DuPont’s €4.5bn offer for Danish probiotics, enzymes and ingredients giant Danisco but the deal remains in doubt as to date only 6% of Danisco shareholders have accepted the offer.
The European Commission has launched a call to tender for a study on measuring water content in poultry meat after German research suggested the figures on which guidelines are based may no longer be valid.
The leading traders of physical raw sugar claim that the commodity is likely to surge to a 30-year high in the coming months, with all eyes on the pending Indian sugar crop output which is hoped will ease supply pressures.
Concern around stock levels of commodities such as sugar, wheat and corn, is claimed by ingredients group Jungbunzlauer as the rationale behind its 10 per cent hike in the price of its xanthan gum, erythritol and citric acid products.
A clutch of widely-used nutrition claims from ‘no added salt’ and ‘low-Gi’ to ‘10% less fat’ remain in a state of legal limbo as discussions over whether to allow them under the health claims Regulation drag on.
New research does not contradict or change the conclusions drawn in the European Food Safety Authority’s opinion on ochratoxin A (OTA) in foods such as cocoa products and liquorice, claims the Parma-based agency.
Country of origin labelling (COOL) should be not be mandatory for snacks and other foods, as the financial burdens would outweigh any benefits, claims a leading Spanish politician.
The Commission is not prohibiting any bread and has no intention to regulate the salt level in bread, says EU spokesperson in a bid to stem reports that German bread is under attack from 'Brussels'.
Green organisations have instigated legal action over the new maximum legal limits on the level of pesticides allowed in food items sold in the European Union.
Rules authorising enzymes need to be updated and simplified, and
enzymes should be authorised only where the consumer benefits, said
Europe's Environment committee, clearing the next hurdle in a
new legal framework for enzyme...
New scientific studies do not provide enough evidence for the EU to
amend its ban on the use of growth promoting hormones in cattle,
the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has concluded.
The practice of making smokies -- blowtorched sheep meat -- can be
done hygienically under controlled plant procedures according to a
report by the UK food regulator.
With the increasing use of some of their raw materials for the
production of biofuels, snack makers have called on the European
Commission to take measures to ensure they do not face further
price hikes for their supplies.
There will be no special measures to cover food products from
cloned animals in the EU, member states have agreed, following news
the offspring of a cloned cow was growing up in the UK.
The EU is moving slowing along the path to regulating the use of
radio frequency identification (RFID)technology, with over half of
its citizens calling for laws requiring businesses to protect
privacyrights.
Scientists at the University of Kent in the UK have
received€800,000 to study ways nanotechnology can improve the
safety and quality ofchilled and frozen foods.
Tetra Pak has rolled out it's A3/Flex packaging line worldwide,
claiming no other carton packaging line around can offer food
producers the same versatility.
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.
The European Commission's criticism of members states for being
slow to follow a key industrial pollution law could spur a
crackdown on companies that have so far not felt thepressure to
make their plants and production processes...
Sweeping changes to EU sugar regime would put Europe's cereal
starch sweetener industry at risk, threatening job losses and even
possible business closures, warns the industry this week,
reports Lindsey Partos.
Sweeping changes to Europe's subsidised sugar regime announced
yesterday will see sugar prices cut by 39 per cent paid to
companies that include sugar and sweetener suppliers Danisco and
Tate and Lyle, but will bring price relief...
A new EU survey on consumer attitudes supports proposed legislation
on improving the treatment of farm animals and the need for better
labelling, according to the European Commission.
Proposals to create a list of about 100 vitamins and mineral
substances that may be added to foods are being debated in the
European Parliament today, part of the long process of harmonising
food legislation in the bloc, reports Ahmed...
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.
Gel-forming additives used widely in jelly mini-cups have been
permanently banned within the European Union following a ruling in
the summer by the European Food Safety Agency that they constituted
a choking hazard.
The 10 new Member States due to join the EU are on course to meet
the EU's food safety standards, said EU Commissioner David Byrne,
who claims that significant progress has been made in recent
months.
Countdown to new rules for the labelling of allergen ingredients
begins with national governments and stakeholders in Europe getting
to grips with the small print before enforcement next year. The
Scottish food watchdog updates the...
Although beef farmers in England are keen to bring their farms into
line with new environmental regulations, some are fearful that this
requirement could jeopardise their economic future, according to
the National Beef Association...
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...
The European Commission has put forward revised regulations on
materials that come into contact with food. Among the proposed
changes is a more modern approach to the principle that packaging
materials should not interact with the...
The European Commission yesterday slammed a €138.4 million fine on
four sorbate companies that supply the dairy industry after being
accused of operating a cartel in the 1990s.
The draconian measures introduced to reduce the use of one-way
packaging in Germany could still incur the wrath of the European
Commission, despite concessions by Berlin. But even if Brussels is
satisfied, German retailers, drinks...
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 European Commission has approved Best Agrifund's acquisition of
the Dutch slaughterhouse group Dumeco. While the transaction
broadens Best Agrifund's activities in the European meat market,
the Commission believes that...
A European Commission survey has indicated that while most
Europeans are in favour of medical applications of biotechnology,
they are still sceptical about agricultural and food-related
biotech.
The European Commission has approved the acquisition by the
Australian company Amcor of the world-wide plastic packaging (PET)
and closure businesses of the German company Schmalbach-Lubeca.
