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Some products more expensive after fat tax repealed in Denmark
Online Published Date : 01 August 2014 | Appeared in issue: Issue 636 - 31 July 2014
While the vast majority of goods have become cheaper after Denmark’s fat tax was removed, both Kærgården and Lurpak butter spread products have become more expensive, according to a new analysis. The new analysis by the Danish..
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ENVI chair says EU agencies must have funding
Online Published Date : 01 August 2014 | Appeared in issue: Issue 636 - 31 July 2014
The new chair of the European Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI), the Italian Christian Democrat Giovanni La Via has stressed the need for EU agencies to be properly funded in an opinion on the..
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New certification against food waste in Danish restaurants
Online Published Date : 01 August 2014 | Appeared in issue: Issue 636 - 31 July 2014
A new green certification called Refood will help Danish restaurants bring attention to the fight against food waste. The goal is to have 10,000 members by 2020, writes foodkultur.dk. The fight against food waste has received growing..
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Food additive derived from seaweed “safe in infant formula”
Online Published Date : 01 August 2014 | Appeared in issue: Issue 636 - 31 July 2014
The common food additive carrageenan is safe for use in infant formula, according to the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), Food Chemical News reports.Carrageenan—a soluble fibre made from seaweed and used as..
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UK commits £400m to buying fresh, local and seasonal food
Online Published Date : 01 August 2014 | Appeared in issue: Issue 635 - 22 July 2014
The UK government has announced it will boost the country’s food industry with £400 million of “potential new business”. The injection aims partly to get more schools and hospitals serving locally reared meats, and fresh fruit..
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EFSA gives enzymes suitability checklist to applicants
Online Published Date : 01 August 2014 | Appeared in issue: Issue 636 - 31 July 2014
New guidance from the European Food Safety Authority includes a checklist of all the information that must be submitted as part of an application to put a food enzyme on the market in the EU.The suitability checklist is designed to be used..
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TTIP could lower EU contaminant limits
Online Published Date : 01 August 2014 | Appeared in issue: Issue 636 - 31 July 2014
The future Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement between the US and the EU could mean the EU being forced to drop its tough contaminant limits for food imports and accept lower international standards from Codex,..
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Commission sets out gluten labelling rules
Online Published Date : 01 August 2014 | Appeared in issue: Issue 636 - 31 July 2014
A new Commission regulation sets out gluten labelling rules that will apply EU-wide when the current provisions are repealed on 20 July 2016.While the 30 July regulation (828/2014) retains the current thresholds for ‘gluten free’..
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Ombudsman demands more transparency on TTIP
Online Published Date : 01 August 2014 | Appeared in issue: Issue 636 - 31 July 2014
The EU Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly has added to voices calling for more transparency over the negotiations for an EU-US trade pact in calling on both the Commission and Council to release documents relating to the Transatlantic Trade and..
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Lactalis low fat spread cholesterol claim set for approval
Online Published Date : 01 August 2014 | Appeared in issue: Issue 636 - 31 July 2014
A claim from Lactalis B&C about its “Low fat and low trans spreadable fat rich in unsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids” and reduction of LDL-cholesterol concentrations is poised to get EU authorisation under a draft Commission..
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Commission study says junk food taxes effective
Online Published Date : 01 August 2014 | Appeared in issue: Issue 636 - 31 July 2014
A study drawn up for the Commission’s Industry and Enterprise directorate general has found that Member State taxes on high sugar, salt and fat products such as soft drinks, sweet and salty foodstuffs do induce a reduction of..
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Listeria outbreak causes four deaths in Macedonia
Online Published Date : 01 August 2014 | Appeared in issue: Issue 636 - 31 July 2014
Two out of almost 200 food samples analyzed by Macedonia’s inspection services have tested positive for the presence of listeria bacteria, announced Macedonia’s Food and Veterinary Agency (FVA) on July 27. The agency, which..
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Luxembourg slams power that GMO law gives business
Online Published Date : 01 August 2014 | Appeared in issue: Issue 636 - 31 July 2014
Luxembourg has warned that the proposal to allow member states to opt out of cultivating EU-approved genetically modified organisms on their territories would give too much power to business.In a statement to be added to the minutes of last..
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Plea to Juncker to scrap Chief Scientific Advisor
Online Published Date : 01 August 2014 | Appeared in issue: Issue 636 - 31 July 2014
A group of non-governmental organisations have written to Commission President elect Jean-Claude Juncker urging him to drop the post of Chief Scientific Advisor when he takes up office on 1 November.The NGOs are unhappy with the role that the..
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MEPs pledge amendments on novel foods definition
Online Published Date : 01 August 2014 | Appeared in issue: Issue 635 - 22 July 2014
MEPs including the Ulster Unionist Jim Nicholson responsible for writing the European Parliament’s report on the novel foods proposal have pledged to draw up amendments to end fears that hundreds of thousands of products could be..
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Legislation to tax soft drinks introduced into Congress
Online Published Date : 01 August 2014 | Appeared in issue: Issue 636 - 31 July 2014
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) took on soda manufacturers today by introducing a bill that could collect billions of dollars each year through a tax on sweetened beverages, and called on FDA to go further in its changes to the Nutrition Facts..
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EFSA consults on DRV for folate
Online Published Date : 01 August 2014 | Appeared in issue: Issue 636 - 31 July 2014
The European Food Safety Authority has given a 14 September deadline for comments on a draft opinion setting out derived Dietary Reference Values (DRVs) for folate.EFSA’s Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA)..
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EFSA lowers infant and follow-on formula protein limit
Online Published Date : 01 August 2014 | Appeared in issue: Issue 636 - 31 July 2014
Current EU maximum limits for protein in infant and follow-on formula should be reduced because there is no evidence that they are needed, the European Food Safety Authority’s Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies..
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Spain to form new trade association for wine growers
Online Published Date : 01 August 2014 | Appeared in issue: Issue 637 - 01 August 2014
Spain’s ministry of agriculture, food and environment (Magrama) has reached an agreement with representatives of the country's wine sector “on the immediate formation of a new national trade association - the Wine..
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Antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in Norwegian turkey meat
Online Published Date : 01 August 2014 | Appeared in issue: Issue 637 - 01 August 2014
By using new and more sensitive methods, Norway’s National Veterinary Institute has been able to prove a high prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in turkey meat. The surveys showed that about half of the turkey fillets..
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Commission gearing up to reject string of health claims
Online Published Date : 01 August 2014 | Appeared in issue: Issue 636 - 31 July 2014
The Commission is getting ready to reject a series of eight health claims in a draft regulation it has put to the Council for the regulatory procedure with scrutiny.The regulation follows negative opinions that the claims were not..