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Food & Drink in the EU

Latest news on food policies in the European Union.

General principles of food law - European Food Safety Authority 03 December 2009, 16:04 CET
The EU's legislation governing the general principles of food law and harmonised controls also underpins the European Food Safety Authority, a European agency which provides the scientific reference point for food-related control and evaluation.

Change advocated for the European food system 23 September 2009, 23:05 CET
A new report published by the European Science Foundation (ESF) and the European Cooperation in the Field of Scientific and Technical Research (COST) calls for Europe to take a new approach on food security. This new approach should prioritise health and sustainability in research and use a holistic view in policy making.

European Union food aid for deprived persons - European Court of Auditors report 22 September 2009, 21:47 CET
Information note of the European Court of Auditors concerning Special Report No 6/2009 - European Union food aid for deprived persons: an assessment of the objectives, the means and the methods employed.

Reform of the EU wine market 01 August 2009, 23:40 CET
Adopted by the European Union Council of Ministers in April 2008 Regulation (EC) 479/2008 thoroughly reorganises the way the EU wine market is managed.

CAP Reform: Final stage of EU wine reform enters into force 01 August 2009, 23:42 CET
The final stage of the European Union wine reform, agreed by agriculture ministers in December 2007, entered into force on 1st August. The wide-ranging reform, the first stage of which applied from 1st August last year, should bring balance to the wine market, phase out wasteful and expensive market intervention measures and allow the budget to be used for more positive, proactive measures which will boost the competitiveness of European wines. The reform provides for a fast restructuring of the wine sector. It includes a voluntary, three-year grubbing-up scheme to provide an alternative for uncompetitive producers and to remove surplus wine from the market. Subsidies for crisis distillation and potable alcohol distillation will be phased out and the money, allocated in national envelopes, can be used for measures like wine promotion on third country markets, restructuring and investment in modernisation of vineyards and cellars. The reform will contribute to environmental protection in wine-growing regions, safeguard traditional and well-established quality policies and simplify labelling rules, for the benefit of producers and consumers alike. The restrictive planting rights system will also be abolished at EU level from 1 January 2016 onwards, with the possibility for EU Member States to keep it until December 2018 if they so wish.

EU agricultural product quality logos 31 May 2017, 23:55 CET
Agricultural products produced in the European Union reflect the rich diversity of different traditions and regions in Europe. To help protect and promote products with particular characteristics linked to their geographical origin as well as traditional products, the EU created quality logos, named "Protected Designation of Origin", "Protected Geographical Indication" and "Traditional Speciality Guaranteed".

Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) - briefing 16 July 2009, 17:13 CET
The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) - an important tool in the EU efforts to ensure food safety - turns 30 this year. The European Commission says figures indicate that now it is more efficient than it has ever been. The system's annual report for 2008, which is being released today, notes that the number of alert notifications in 2008 was reduced by almost half compared to 2007. The total number of notifications remained stable at around 7,000. This does not mean that there were fewer problems to report in 2008. It rather indicates that the system's contributors now focus better on the risks and only classify them under "alert notifications" if they are considered "serious" and the product is circulating on the market. That is also when rapid action is required from Member States to mitigate the risk. In 2008, there were 528 alerts out of a total of about 3,000 notifications. The Commission also received about 4,000 follow-up notifications which it transmitted to all Member States.

EU - US provisional agreement in beef dispute - briefing 06 May 2009, 23:49 CET
Today the European Commission and the United States agreed in principle on a way forward in the long-running dispute over hormone-treated beef.

Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) - Weekly Overview 15 April 2009, 22:17 CET
The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) provides food and feed control authorities with an effective tool for exchanging information on measures taken to ensure food safety. The European Commission publishes a weekly overview of alert notifications, information notifications and border rejections received from the Member States.

Safety of Ractopamine in feed - EFSA 08 April 2009, 17:33 CET
EFSA’s FEEDAP Panel has just published an opinion on the safety of ractopamine, a growth promoter used in animal feed in some countries outside the EU. Ractopamine is a drug belonging to the 'β-agonist' category which is banned from use in food producing animals in the EU by EC Directive 96/22/EC, with some exceptions for therapeutic purposes. In certain countries outside the EU its regular use is allowed in feed for pigs and cattle, to accelerate weight gain, improve feed efficiency and increase the leanness of carcasses. The EU ban on the substance applies to meat produced in the EU and imported from third countries.

EU 1 billion euro "Food Facility" for developing countries - briefing 30 March 2009, 15:59 CET
The European Commission adopted on 30 March a EUR 314 million package of projects to support agriculture and improve the food security situation in 23 developing countries across the globe. This is the first financing decision in the framework of the EUR 1 billion Food Facility which was adopted at the end of last year as a response to the growing food security problems faced by many developing countries. The Commission also agreed to an overall plan for the use of the entire amount of the Facility, targeting 50 developing countries in total.

EU pesticide review programme 18 March 2009, 23:27 CET
The European Commission made today an important step forward in its efforts to ensure improved protection of human health and the environment, as it completed the review of existing pesticides that were on the market before 1993. This programme concerned about 1,000 substances, of which about 250 have passed the harmonised EU safety assessment. All reviewed pesticides have undergone a detailed risk evaluation with respect to their effects on humans and on the environment. This important achievement is the result of a considerable joint effort by the Commission, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Member States.

EU School Fruit Scheme - briefing 19 November 2008, 22:42 CET
The European Union's Agriculture Council on 19 November reached political agreement on a European Commission proposal for a European Union-wide scheme to provide fruit and vegetables to school children.

Free food for Europe's poor - Commission proposal 17 September 2008, 17:10 CET
The European Commission proposed on 17 September to improve the current food distribution programme for the most deprived persons in the European Union by increasing the budget by two thirds to around EUR 500 million from 2009 and extending the range of products which can be provided.

EU - Pesticides database 16 January 2019, 22:59 CET
The EU - Pesticides database is the reference database for EU Member States about the pesticide residues, active substances and products and their values.

New rules on pesticide residues to make EU food safer 29 August 2008, 16:47 CET
A new regulation revising and simplifying the rules pertaining to pesticide residues enters into force on 1 September 2008.

2007 RASFF annual report - briefing 24 July 2008, 22:06 CET
In 2007 there was a record number of notifications sent to the EU's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) –7,354 altogether– indicating that this tool which ensures the safety of food for Europeans is functioning well. According to the "2007 RASFF annual report ", last year 961 alerts and 2015 information notifications were received, giving rise to 4339 additional information notifications. This high number is mainly attributed to the increase of the additional information notifications – up by 13.5% compared to 2006. Most notifications in 2007 concerned official controls on the internal market (43%), while 42% concerned products from non-EU countries which were blocked at the border by EU control authorities when the risks were identified. Just as in 2006, the product category for which the most alerts were sent was fish products (21%).

Feed Marketing - guide 06 March 2008, 17:08 CET
The European Commission adopted on 4 March 2008 a proposal for an EU Regulation which considerably simplifies the existing procedures for labelling and marketing animal feed and pet food, while making the overall system more efficient and maintaining the same high level of protection of animal health, animal welfare and public health. The EU livestock sector, which contributes to almost half of all EU agricultural output, will benefit from modernised rules that will help promote its competitiveness. The freedom of the feed industry to innovate will also be boosted by these changes - the compound feed and pet food industry represents a turnover of roughly EUR 50 billion in the EU. Finally, the 62 million households in the EU that own pets will be in a better position to evaluate the real content of the pet food they buy.

Food Labelling - guide 30 January 2008, 16:24 CET
The European Commission adopted on 30 January 2008 a proposal to make food labels clearer and more relevant to the needs of EU consumers. The aim of the draft Regulation is to modernise and improve EU food labelling rules, so that consumers have, in a legible and understandable manner, the essential information they need to make informed purchasing choices. Under the proposal, pre-packaged food will have to display key nutritional information on the front of the package. General requirements on how nutrition information should be displayed on food labels are also set out, although there is room for EU Member States to promote additional national schemes provided they do not undermine the EU rules. For public health reasons, the draft Regulation extends the current requirements for allergen labelling to cover non pre-packed food, including food sold in restaurants and other catering establishments. Industry is also expected to benefit from the proposed new rules, as they set up a clearer, more harmonised legislative framework for food labelling and create a level playing field for all operators. The draft Regulation was drawn up following extensive consultations with consumer organisations, industry and other stakeholders.

GM Food & Feed 14 January 2008, 14:18 CET
EU legislation covering genetically modified (GM) Food & Feed.

Novel Foods - EU Authorisations 14 January 2008, 14:19 CET
European Commission Decisions authorising the placing on the market of novel food.

Safe Novel Foods in the EU 14 January 2008, 14:24 CET
The European Commission on 14 January 2008 adopted a proposal to revise the Novel Foods Regulation with a view to improving the access of new and innovative foods to the EU market, while still maintaining a high level of consumer protection. Under the draft Regulation, novel foods would be subject to a simpler and more efficient authorisation procedure, which should enable safe, innovative foods to reach the EU market faster. Moreover, special provisions are made for foods which have not been traditionally sold in the EU but which have a safe history of use in third countries, in order to create a more proportionate system and positive environment for trade. The proposal also sets out certain data protection rules, which aim to protect newly developed foodstuffs once authorised, and encourage companies to invest in developing new types of foods and food production techniques.

Evaluation of nutrient sources in food supplements and food - update 08 November 2007, 18:52 CET
During 2005 EFSA received approximately 500 dossiers relating to nutrient substances added to food supplements and foods currently on the market in the European Union (EU). Under current EU legislation, a scientific opinion from EFSA on the safety of such nutrient sources is required prior to any approval of their continued use in food supplements and/or fortified foods and/or foods for particular nutritional purposes.

GM Food in the EU 24 October 2007, 15:23 CET
GMOs are organisms such as plants, animals and micro-organisms (bacteria, viruses, etc.), the genetic characteristics of which have been modified artificially in order to give them a new property (a plant's resistance to a disease or insect, improvement of a food's quality or nutritional value, increased crop productivity, a plant's tolerance of a herbicide, etc.). In order to ensure that this development of modern biotechnology, and more specifically of GMOs, takes place in complete safety, the European Union has established a legal framework comprising various directives and regulations.

EU Food Safety Regulatory Committees 07 May 2013, 15:51 CET
Following the adoption of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January2002 setting out the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety, the regulatory committees consisting of representatives of the Member States that have a key role in decision-making on food safety issues were reorganised within a single new structure, the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health. This new Standing Committee replaces the existing Standing Veterinary Committee, the Standing Committee on Foodstuffs, the Standing Committee on Animal Nutrition and part of the Standing Committee on Plant Health (plant protection products and pesticides residues). The new Committee will assist the European Commission in the development of food safety measures. Its mandate covers the entire food supply chain, ranging from animal health issues on the farm to the product that arrives on the consumer's table, thus significantly enhancing its ability to target risks to health wherever they arise in the production of our food. The Committee will consist of representatives of the Member States and be chaired by a European Commission representative. The structure of the six other Standing Committees remains unchanged.