The Council of the European Union (EU) has adopted a directive banning the use of added sugars in any fruit juices sold in Europe. According to a March 8, 2012, Council press release, the new directive “incorporates the current industry practice of not adding sugars to fruit juices” and will phase out “no added sugars” labeling after a transitional period, at the end of which “all fruit juices present on the market are not allowed to contain added sugars anymore.” The directive also addresses labeling for fruit nectars, which evidently cannot be made without added sweeteners; adds tomatoes “to the list of fruits used for fruit juice production”; and confirms that product names must indicate the fruits included in the juice. Expected to take effect by the beginning of June, the directive gives member states 18 months after enactment to transpose its provisions into national law. “The new rules will apply…
Category Archives Europe
Danish Food and Agriculture Minister Mette Gjerskov has reportedly urged the European Union (EU) and its member states to support improved animal welfare standards. In January 2012, the European Commission released a new animal welfare strategy, details of which were covered in Issue 425 of this Update. Speaking to an international conference in Brussels, Belgium, Gjerskov asserted that the “increasing” transportation of animals for slaughter across Europe was “worrying,” as evidenced by a petition signed by 1 million EU citizens who have challenged current regulations allowing such journeys to exceed 24 hours by calling for an eight-hour maximum. “The fact that so many people signed a petition is a signal to politicians that there is great concern about how we care for animals,” Gjerskov said. “We need to raise standards beyond legal requirements.” See theparliament.com, February 29, 2012.
The European Commission recently released a new animal welfare strategy designed to close gaps in the current laws and remedy a lack of uniform enforcement. According to a January 20, 2012, press release, the strategy ultimately aims to (i) provide consumers with more information about “what animal-welfare claims made on product labels really mean,” (ii) ensure that existing rules “really do benefit animals,” and (iii) improve training for animal handlers. In addition, the Commission has pledged to address the transportation of animals to slaughter, as well as introduce a general animal welfare bill and bills pertaining specifically to pig welfare over the next four years. The announcement apparently followed a citizen petition covered in Issue 422 of this Update and initiated by World Horse Welfare (WHW), which called for an eight-hour limit on the transportation of livestock to slaughter. Nevertheless, the group has since criticized the new strategy’s failure to…
The European Parliament has reportedly vetoed a European Commission (EC) proposal that would have permitted reformulated food products to display “percent less” claims pertaining to their fat, salt and sugar contents. According to a February 2, 2012, press release, the rejected changes to Annex of EC Regulation 1924/2006 “would have allowed, for example, a ‘15% less sugar’ claim, which would be based on a previous formulation of the same product,” as well as a “No added salt/sodium” claim. The 393 members of Parliament (MEPs) who voted against the proposal apparently argued that products with such claims “could misleadingly appear healthier” than those with labels indicating a reduced level of sugar, salt or fat. Under current EU legislation, a reduced nutrient claim “may only be made where the reduction in content is at least 30% compared to a similar product, except . . . for sodium, or the equivalent value for salt,…
The European Commission (EC) has proposed a new data protection framework seeking to streamline existing directives and strengthen individuals’ online privacy rights. Titled “Safeguarding Privacy in a Connected World: A European Data Protection Framework for the 21st Century,” the proposed regulations would provide “a single set of rules” within the European Union (EU) and also apply to companies “active in the EU market” that handle personal data abroad. In particular, the framework would stipulate “increased responsibility and accountability for those processing personal data” such as names, photos, information posted on social networking sites, or computer IP and email addresses. Under the proposed rules, companies must obtain explicit user consent to gather personal data and must report within 24 hours (or as soon as possible) any security breach to a national supervisory authority, which “will be empowered to fine companies that violate EU data protection rules… up to €1 million or…
The Constitutional Council of France recently approved a tax on sweetened soft drinks to combat the healthcare-related costs of obesity. Effective January 1, 2012, the tax adds 1 euro cent per can and is expected to generate €120 million ($156 million) in state revenue to fund lower Social Security contributions by farm workers. “Obesity is rising as swiftly in France as it is in other EU countries and action must be taken before it gets any more serious,” a French health ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying. See France 24, December 28, 2011; Daily Mail, December 29, 2011.
During a recent discussion about family and childhood nutrition sponsored by the Brussels-based think-tank Friends of Europe, the World Health Organization’s representative to the European Union reportedly called for imposing steep taxes on salty and sugary foods to address excessive eating. Roberto Bertollini apparently claimed that the campaign against tobacco, including high taxes and government regulation of tobacco use and advertising, provides a model to address increasing rates of obesity. He also called for restrictions on junk-food advertising and government efforts to promote healthy eating habits and exercise. Others participating in the forum reportedly suggested that parents and schools play a role in getting children to adopt healthier lifestyles. See EurActiv, December 6, 2011.
The European Parliament recently adopted a resolution calling for a ban on most uses of antibiotics in livestock. Noting that “superbugs” take the lives of approximately 25,000 people in Europe each year, the non-binding resolution urges the European Commission (EC) to “make legislative proposals to phase out the prophylactic use of antibiotics in livestock farming.” The European Union already bans antibiotics to boost animal growth, but the resolution addresses the need to prevent disease by keeping veterinary and human medicines as separate as possible. Among other things, the resolution urges the EC to prevent “last resort” antibiotics from being used in animals and allow the drugs only to be administered under licensed conditions combined with resistance monitoring. “The growing ineffectiveness of antibiotics is already a serious problem today and a potential health time bomb in the future,” said the Parliament’s Public Health Committee Chair Jo Leinen. “We need a clear EU…
The European Commission (EC) has reportedly endorsed proposed safety measures aimed at better preventing dioxin contamination in animal food and feed. Prompted by a widespread investigation into an outbreak of the toxin that struck German meat and egg farms in late 2010, the draft regulation will be sent to the European Parliament and the European Council for review before the EC can give its official approval. Implementation is expected throughout the European Union by mid-2012. Details of the outbreak were covered in Issues 376, 377 and 381 of this Update. According to the EC, Germany’s dioxin outbreak occurred when fatty acids intended for technical and industrial use were mixed with vegetable feed fat used in the production of animal feed. To reduce such risks from happening in the future, EU member states approved EC Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health safety measures designed to “avoid food recalls…
The European Commission (EC) has adopted a recommendation defining “nanomaterials” as materials “whose main constituents have a dimension of between 1 and 100 billionth of a meter.” According to an October 18, 2011, press release, this definition considers only “the size of the constituent particles of a material, rather than hazard or risk.” As such, it describes nanomaterials as “a natural, incidental or manufactured material containing particles, in an unbound state or as an aggregate or as an agglomerate and where, for 50% or more of the particles in the number size distribution, one or more external dimensions is in the size range 1 nm – 100 nm.” The definition apparently relies on input from the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC), whose draft recommendations were covered in Issue 355 of this Update. The EC hopes that the adopted version…
