Tag Archives: EU

EFSA Releases Evaluation of Cyanide Risk from Foods

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The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) has opened a public consultation into a draft opinion on the health risks of cyanogenic glycosides in foods other than raw apricot kernels. Cyanogenic glycosides contain chemically bound cyanide and are present in foods such as apricot kernels, almonds, linseed, or … Continue Reading

European Union’s Top Court Rules on Gene-Editing Technology

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The European Court of Justice has ruled that all techniques that induce DNA mutagenesis result in products that can be regulated as genetically modified organisms.  GMO regulation had previously been limited to products of genetic engineering where DNA from a separate organism was introduced into the target organism’s genome.  Newly developed gene editing techniques exploit … Continue Reading

International Food Safety Leaders Adopt and Advance Food Safety Provisions Discussed at the 12th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Committee on Contaminants (and Toxins) in foods (CCCF)

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The 12th session of the Codex Alimentarius Committee on Contaminants (and Toxins) in foods (CCCF) was held in Utrecht (The Netherlands) from March 12-16, 2018. CCCF is the Codex Alimentarius horizontal committee in charge of updating the General Standard on Contaminants and Toxins in Foods and adopting codes and guidelines for the reduction and prevention … Continue Reading

FDA Announces Proposed EU Shellfish Equivalence Determination

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The United States and the European Union (EU) have not traded live shellfish for nearly eight years. Since 2010, U.S. shellfish imports have not been allowed to enter the EU, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not permitted the import of live, fresh or fresh-frozen molluscan shellfish from the EU since the … Continue Reading

New EFSA Report Finds Antimicrobial Resistance Persists in Humans, Animals and Food

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Antimicrobial use in food-producing animals remains a hot button issue. In the United States, FDA, USDA, and various industry stakeholders have sought to tackle public health concerns associated with the use of medically important antibiotics to promote growth or feed efficiency in food-producing animals. In the European Union (EU), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) … Continue Reading

Dairy Terms Cannot be Used to Market Plant-Based Products Under EU Law, Says Court

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The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that purely plant-based products cannot be marketed with designations such as “milk,” “cream,” “butter,” “cheese” or “yogurt,” unless an exemption is listed in Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013. The decision stems from a lawsuit filed by a German association that combats unfair competition against TofuTown, a German … Continue Reading

Eye on the EU: EFSA Data Warehouse

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EFSA publishes new online warehouse for data on chemical contaminants and food consumption. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is responsible for providing scientific advice and performing food risk assessments in the European Union.  EFSA has long had access to significant quantities of data on chemical contaminants and food consumption, but did not have a … Continue Reading

Eye on the EU: Novel Foods & GM Update

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European Parliament votes in new novel food regulations, but confusion lingers. For years, Europe has been debating and considering updates to its 20-year old regulatory framework for novel foods. On October 28, the European Parliament voted to adopt a proposed novel food regulation that will amend the former novel food categories; centralize the authorization process; shift … Continue Reading

Eye on the EU: Date Marking

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EU considers options to simplify date marking of foods. The European Commission has acknowledged that better understanding and use of date marking codes on food products (e.g., “use by” and “best before” dates) can minimize food waste in Europe. To evaluate this subject, the Commission conducted pan-European quantitative consumer research to assess citizens’ attitudes to … Continue Reading

Eye on the EU: Health & Nutrition Claim Regulation

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European Commission publishes roadmap to evaluate regulation on health and nutrition claims. As part of its policy to promote “better regulation,” the European Commission recently announced its plan to evaluate two aspects of Regulation 1924/2006/EC on nutrition and health claims:  (1) nutrient profiles; and (2) the use of claims on plants and their preparations. To this effect, the Commission has … Continue Reading

Eye on the EU: GM Update

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European Parliamentary Committee rejects bill that would allow countries to restrict or ban use of imported GM crops with EU approvals. In early 2015, the European Parliament adopted a law permitting member states to prohibit or restrict the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops in their territories, even where such cultivation is permitted at the … Continue Reading

Eye on the EU: EFSA Transparency and Scottish GM Ban

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European Court of Justice rules that EFSA may not keep names of expert reviewers confidential. In recent years, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has been criticized for an alleged lack of transparency in the way that its experts review and consider data to support product safety assessments.  Historically, EFSA has not disclosed the names … Continue Reading

Eye on the EU: Reports on Chemicals and Trans Fats

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EFSA publishes an overview report on chemicals in food for 2015. As requested by the European Commission, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published for the first time a report on chemicals found in food. This exercise will be repeated every year and will cover two topics:  (1) pesticide residues in food, and (2) veterinary drug … Continue Reading

Eye on the EU

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Sweden takes the European Commission to the Court of Justice of the EU over endocrine disruptors. The discussion over the establishment of science-based criteria for endocrine disruptors is ongoing in the EU. The European Commission is obliged under the biocide legislation and the plant protection products legislation to establish such criteria. The deadline for establishing … Continue Reading
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