In collaboration with EUROPOL, Spain's environmental protection service has seized 45 tons of tuna illegally treated with color-enhancing substances. The tuna was frozen and acceptable for canned use, but four individuals were recoloring the fish and selling it as fresh, according to the investigators. The alleged perpetrators face up to four years in prison for "endangering public health."
Category Archives Europe
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has released a scientific report identifying potential areas of improvement in the agency’s emerging risks identification procedure. The report highlights “weaknesses with respect to data collection, analysis and integration” and suggests that broader analyses would improve the system. Recommendations include (i) integrating social sciences “to improve understanding of interactions and dynamics,” (ii) improving data processing pipelines and (iii) enhancing transparency and improving communication.
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has again barred HJ Heinz Foods UK from airing a television commercial suggesting that the nutritional benefits of beans and a protein supplement are comparable. After ASA found that the ad made an unpermitted nutrition claim, Heinz changed a line in the commercial to reduce an implied comparison between the levels of protein, fiber and fat in a protein shake and a serving of beans. ASA found that the updated version of the ad continued to create the “overall impression” that the two products were comparable and banned the ad from running on television.
France's Institut National de l'Origine et de la Qualité has filed an opposition with the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board contesting Teastream LLC's application to register "Champagne's Sober Cousin" for tea products. Institut National de l'Origine et de la Qualité v. Teastream LLC, No. 91241975 (T.T.A.B., opposition filed June 25, 2018). The French agency asserts that the mark would infringe on the country's protected designation of origin for sparkling wines from the Champagne region, allegedly resulting in "dilution by blurring and by tarnishment" of a famous mark. Meanwhile, France's Directorate General of Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control has reportedly investigated "anomalies, deceptions and fraud" in the sale of Spanish wine. The investigation purportedly found that several merchants sold as many as 10 million bottles of Spanish wine as French by falsely marking the bottles with "vin du France" or misleadingly marketing them with French elements, such as the…
The European Commission has proposed rules intended to reduce the buildup of single-use plastic in oceans. The rules would ban plastic products with a readily available and affordable alternative, such as cutlery, plates, straws and drink stirrers. In addition, manufacturers "will help cover the costs of waste management and clean-up, as well as awareness raising measures" for several plastic products, including "food containers, packets and wrappers (such as for crisps and sweets)" and "drink containers and cups."
The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a challenge to a bus poster sponsored by Viva, a vegan-advocacy group, that claimed the hormones in cow's milk have been "linked to cancer." Viva asserted that consumers interpret the words “linked to” as a phrase “commonly used to express an association between two factors when there was a potential or likely relationship but not an absolute causative relationship." The group submitted several research papers in support of the ad claim, but ASA was unconvinced by each study, citing unrelated or overly broad subject matters as well as the inclusion of self-reported data. ASA concluded that "the claim 'milk contains 35 hormones, including oestrogen … some of these are linked to cancer', as it would be understood by consumers to mean that due to the presence of hormones, drinking cow’s milk could increase a person’s risk of developing cancer, had not been substantiated and…
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has reviewed data on glyphosate residues on crops and determined that "current exposure levels are not expected to pose a risk to human health." The review includes two reports examining crops grown for human consumption as well as crops used in animal feed. EFSA reportedly relied on comparisons between the diets of EU adults and children and the glyphosate intake values the agency recommended in 2015.
The French Parliament has reportedly voted to prohibit the use of meat and dairy terms to describe plant-based substitutes such as vegetarian sausage or vegan bacon. The measure follows a 2017 European Court of Justice ruling that plant-based products cannot be marketed with terms such as “milk” or “butter.” Violations of the ban may lead to fines of up to €300,000.
The European Parliament has adopted rules governing the certification and labeling of organic foods, including supply chain checks and updated standards for organic foods imported from non-EU countries. The rules also cover plant seeds, allowing producers to offer locally adapted traditional varieties for sale and use. "Organic standards are already very high, but consumer confidence can best be strengthened when the rules are clear and comprehensible. The new regulation wil[l] certainly make a positive contribution here," MEP Martin Häusling said in a interview. “Moreover, many of the rules that give producers security are also beneficial to consumers. The annual process-oriented controls mean consumers can be sure companies are inspected regularly."
Ireland’s tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) will take effect May 1, 2018, following a European Commission finding that the tax does not constitute state aid. According to a press release, "The Commission in its assessment found that soft drinks can be treated differently to other sugary products in view of health objectives. For example, the Commission took into account the fact that soft drinks are the main source of calories devoid of any nutritional value and thereby raise particular health issues. Furthermore, soft drinks are particularly liable to lead to overconsumption and represent a higher risk of obesity, also compared to other sugary drinks and solid food. On this basis, the Commission concluded that the scope of the Irish sugar sweetened drinks tax and its overall design are consistent with the health objectives pursued and does not unduly distort competition."
