Nutrition is an important area for EFSA and the agency should
become more involved in it in the future, said stakeholders at last
week's consultative platform in Parma, Italy.
A new report published by the European Nutrition for Health
Alliance (ENHA) has drawn attention to the issue of malnutrition in
Europe's ageing population - a problem it says is widespread but
receives considerably less attention...
Many overseas companies selling nutraceuticals in Europe are
risking having their products removed from the market as they have
not gone through the correct regulatory channels, warns a
consultant to the natural products industry.
MEPs have reasserted their position over the proposed EU regulation
on nutrition and health claims, tabling 269 amendments at second
reading in response to a common position that took no account of
the majority of their opinions.
Science fiction or science fact? Could we soon be stopping off for
a quick genetic test to let us know which foods and supplements to
take to reduce our risks of certain diseases?
More soft drinks will be tested for cancer-causing chemical benzene
in the UK after it was revealed some drinks contain up to eight
times the legal limit for drinking water.
Europe should follow Denmark's example and force food makers to
clearly label the presence of trans fats, a move that would bring
huge health benefits and bring European labelling into line with
the US.
Voluntary food labelling schemes could lead to greater confusion
among consumers at a time when the EU is debating how best to
harmonise regulations across the bloc, argues an industry lawyer.
Halting the deadly rise in childhood obesity will not be achieved
without stronger leadership from the top, warns a stark new report
from three UK watchdogs.
America's soft drinks association said it would have to look again
at benzene in drinks, after new tests revealed to
BeverageDaily.com suggest it and food safety authorities
failed to stamp out a problem.
Revision of the EU Council regulation governing organic food would
allow GM contamination and obscure the local origins of organic
food, according to the Soil Associations Peter Melchett.
The Institute of Food Science & Technology has identified
possible deficiencies in current regulations concerning the impact
of nanotechology on food and packaging.
Australia's Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA) has taken a
tough stance over the safety record of black cohosh, requiring that
OTC and alternative medicines containing the herbal must carry a
warning for the potential harm...
The suggestion that EFSA may require companies to pay fees for the
processing of dossiers required under EU legislation has raised
fears over the financial burden this would place on small and
medium enterprises in the health and...
The results from an FSA study into the occurrence of irradiated
ingredients in food supplements shows that the industry is tackling
the problem, argues the HFMA.
The UK's Food Advertising Unit has responded to calls for the
government to intervene in the current marketing of foods high in
salt, sugar and fat to children.
The UK appears close to introducing compulsory flour fortification
in an attempt to reduce neural tube defects, while a new report
lists France as having the lowest rates of birth defects, a
statistic that has been linked to the folate-rich...
The chances of the European Parliament and Council of Ministers
reaching an agreement over the EU Nutrition and Health Claims Made
on Foods proposal without conciliation looked more unlikely than
ever at a first exchange of views...
Food safety authorities in Australia and New Zealand have rubbished
media reports that new proposals would prevent fresh fruit and
vegetables from carrying health claims.
Debate over the proposed EU regulation on nutrition and health
claims for food products is likely to heat up in the first half of
2006 as the EU parliament revises its timetable and shunts the
process forward by several months.
Supplement products made by Denmark's Ferrosan have been withdrawn
from sale in the EU after being found to contain undeclared
irradiated white tea extract.
The UK's Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has upheld complaints
over claims made in advertisments for the services in a traditional
Chinese medicine clinic - the third such adjudication in recent
months.
A new study reveals that most Americans know what they should be
eating but find it difficult to stick to a healthy diet because of
the product options readily available to them.
The UK's medicines regulator is warning consumers not to purchase
or use certain African herbal remedies which may contain toxic
herbal ingredients that could cause life threatening conditions.
Nutrient profiling, one of the most controversial elements of
Europe's proposed health claims law, looks set to remain in the
future legislation, according to experts, and some firms have
already signalled their acceptance.
A UK firm looking to market the naturally occurring mineral
clinoptilolite as a food supplement for smokers or people in
contact with high levels of heavy metals has been told it does not
have enough safety data.
Australia and New Zealand's food authority has published new
proposals for a health claims standard that would allow disease
risk reduction claims for the first time.
The Codex nutrition committee made little headway on draft health
claims recommendations this week but discussion looks set to
advance more rapidly next year, with new input from member
countries.
A panel of global food experts may start their first debate on
health claims this week, with the topic once again on the agenda at
the Codex meeting in Bonn.
The FSA's backing of a 'multiple traffic light' (MTL) labelling
initiative comes a day after the UK food industry promised a
voluntary guideline on daily amounts (GDA).
New guideline daily amounts (GDAs) on food packaging in the UK will
empower consumers with vital nutritional knowledge and help cut
rocketing obesity rates.
European food safety experts are calling for further safety studies
on the omega-3 rich seed chia, before it can be introduced onto the
European market.
Supplements containing the amino acid tryptophan are expected to be
reintroduced onto the UK market in coming months, following a
change in the law that has banned them for the last 15 years.
Food standards authorities in Australia and New Zealand have
legalised drinks fortified with calcium, offering opportunities for
firms amid growing consumer demand and poor dietary intake.
New laws on herbal medicinal products being brought in across
Europe this weekend are likely to push up prices over coming years
as manufacturers meet high costs for registering their products.
The French food safety authority is advising consumers not to drink
more than 30 ml of noni juice per day as some studies have linked
it with hepatitis.
Dairy players must beware of misleading nutrition claims as the
UK's advertising watchdog upholds a complaint against Nestle
propelled by the country's vegan society.
The World Health Organisation has created new guidelines for
governments in the fight against a growing chronic disease
pandemic, which are likely to add to the pressure already being
felt by European food makers.
Health claims in Europe should reflect emerging science as well as
the established evidence, believes a nutrition expert who is
calling for a system of graded claims under the future law.
Nutrition profiling proposals from the UK's food watchdog would put
milk in the same health bracket as diet coke and make breast milk
unsuitable for children, claims a dairy industry body critical of
the scheme.
Too many producers are falsely labelling their products as
probiotic and could present a stumbling block to the sector's
expansion, says the marketing head of leading innovator Valio at
Drinktec 2005.